 The hospital was officially opened by Princess Alexandra in October 1973.Originally a single eight storey block containing 576 beds standing on a three storey podium, further buildings have since been added, with the most recent being a new cancer care centre in 2007 to replace the current Beatson Oncology Centre facilities that are currently spread between Gartnavel, the Western Infirmary and the Royal Infirmary.The Brownlee Centre for Infectious and Communicable Diseases opened on the Gartnavel General Hospital site in 1998, replacing services and research laboratories at the city's Ruchill Hospital.