Architecture

Hôpital Desgenettes

Lyon

Hôpital Desgenettes, officially L'hôpital d'instruction des armées Desgenettes (HIAD), is a military hospital of the French Army located on boulevard Pinel in Lyon. Open to both civilians and military personnel, it serves part of southeast France in the field of military medicine. The institution has undergone several historical changes in name, location, and function.

The hospital was constructed in 1832 on Quai de la Charité, near Hôpital de la Charité, according to plans by Jean Dupoux. A military annex, Hôpital militaire Villemanzy, opened in 1859 on the slopes of Croix-Rousse and was definitively closed in 1945. In 1886, as part of a broader renaming of military hospitals ordered by General Georges Boulanger, the hospital on Quai du Rhône received the name Desgenettes in honor of René-Nicolas Dufriche Desgenettes. It was relocated in 1946 to the Grange Blanche medical district, near several major health and education institutions in Lyon. After the move, the former site was demolished and replaced by a hotel.

Map showing the location of Hôpital Desgenettes in Lyon
Location of Hôpital Desgenettes in Lyon

Nearby Objects

Hôpital Desgenettes in Lyon

Hopital Desgenettes, officially named L'hopital d'instruction des armees Desgenettes (HIAD), is a military hospital of the French Army. It is located on boulevard Pinel in Lyon and is open to both civilians and military personnel. The hospital provides military medicine services for part of Southeast France, giving it a regional role within the French Army health system.

History and relocation of Hôpital Desgenettes

Hôpital Desgenettes began as a hospital constructed in 1832 on Quai de la Charite near Hopital de la Charite, following plans by Jean Dupoux. An annex opened in 1859 on the slopes of Croix-Rousse under the name Hopital militaire Villemanzy, and this annex was definitively closed in 1945. In 1886, General Georges Boulanger renamed military hospitals after prominent figures in French military history, and the hospital on Quai du Rhone received the name of Rene-Nicolas Dufriche Desgenettes.

The hospital was relocated in 1946 to the Grange Blanche medical district, near Hopital Edouard-Herriot, the Lyon medical faculty, IFSI Rockefeller, and Centre hospitalier Le Vinatier. After the move, the former site was demolished and replaced by a hotel. Over time, Hopital Desgenettes was assigned a secondary role under Plan Armees 2000 and SSA 2000 outside the main centers in Paris, Marseille, and Toulon.

Its later history reflects further institutional changes. A partnership with Hospices Civils de Lyon began in 2014 under General Isabelle Ausset, with plans for complementarity and defense support integration. In 2018, the intensive care service closed, the balance of the partnership shifted notably in favor of Hospices Civils de Lyon, and bed numbers were reduced with weekend closures implemented. In early 2022, conversion to a medical outpost or closure was discussed, while a 2022 project involved transferring MPR beds from Hopital Henry-Gabrielle to Desgenettes and strengthening civilian-military cooperation in teaching and research. The hospital was not assigned to open a vaccination center during the 2021 Covid-19 pandemic, and it is described as having been transformed into a specialized military hospital.