From a historical perspective, Sandnessjøen and the surrounding area is an interesting area of Northern Norway healthwise, with some kind of hospital provision dating back to the beginning of the nineteenth century. The hospital was sited at Søvik from 1865 until 1926. The building at Sandnessjøen dating from 1926 is one of the few remaining relatively complete Norwegian hospitals with a granite-veneered façade. The extension dating from 1957 is a representative example of sober post-war architecture suited to the original building in its form and size.

The hospital at Sandnessjøen played a significant role following the sinking of the prisoner transport ship DS Rigel in 1944, the largest-scale shipwreck in Norwegian history.