A shipping container clinic is a type of

shipping container architecture Shipping container architecture is a form of architecture that uses steel intermodal containers (shipping containers) as the main structural element. It is also referred to as ''cargotecture'' or ''arkitainer'', Blend word, portmanteau words ...

using

intermodal container An intermodal container, often called a shipping container, or a freight container, (or simply "container") is a large metal crate designed and built for intermodal freight transport, meaning these containers can be used across different Mode ...

s (shipping containers) as the structural element of a medical clinic that can be easily deployed to remote regions of the world. Shipping containers are ideal because of their inherent strength, wide availability and relatively low cost. In addition, and most relevant, shipping containers can be deployed anywhere in the world with the clinic already assembled within the container. This means pop-up clinics can be operational within days after deployment.

History

San Hist WELASYS - Schweizer Armee - Steel Parade 2006

Several organizations have developed the concept of shipping container clinics. In 2005, Hospitals of Hope produced a "Clinic In A Can" in a 45-foot trailer that was sent to

Les Cayes Les Cayes ( , ), often referred to as Aux Cayes (; ), is a commune and seaport in the Les Cayes Arrondissement, in the Sud department of Haiti, with a population of 71,236. Due to its isolation from the political turmoil of the capital, Port-a ...

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

to provide medical relief. The 45 foot trailer is converted into five medical rooms, with each one being approximately 70 square feet. The container has since helped Hospitals of Hope provide care to over 30,000 residents of Haiti. In 2006,

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

winning author,

Laurie Garrett Laurie Garrett (born 1951) is an American science journalist and author. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism in 1996 for a series of works published in ''Newsday'' that chronicled the Ebola virus outbreak in Zaire. Bi ...

, worked with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to create a prototype "Doc In A Box" based on Garrett's conceptual framework. In June 2010, Hospitals of Hope sent two "Clinic In A Cans" to Haiti in partnership with Heart to Heart International in response to an earthquake. The containers were both 40 feet long and cost around $12,000 to build. In November 2010, Containers 2 Clinics sent a prototype clinic to be used on site at Grace Children's Hospital in

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( ; ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Haiti, most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The me ...

. In April 2011, a three-unit Clinic In A Can was shipped to Haiti in partnership with Aslan Youth Ministries. This small hospital will be operated by Aslan Youth Ministries, an organization working in the north-east of Haiti. With a fault line running under where they work, steel shipping containers are safer than a concrete structure. In August 2012, Clinics4All established its Global Clinic Donation Program (GCDP) to provide medical clinics free of charge to third-world governments through their respective departments or Ministries of Health as a means of improving access to healthcare in medically under-served and remote areas, particularly for children and women. In March 2013, Clinic In A Can shipped a solar powered clinic to

Mirebalais Mirebalais (; ) is a commune in the Centre department of Haiti, approximately 60 km northeast of Port-au-Prince on National Road 3. The city was established in 1702. American Rotarians have made a number of mission-type trips to the cit ...

, Haiti in partnership with Global Vision Citadelle Ministries, as well as a radiology Clinic In A Can to

Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

. In July 2013, Arkitainer opened its doors as a UK based company specialising in the use of shipping containers for various community based projects. A recent proposal for a residential community complete with clinics, schooling and vocational training for Cape Town is currently underway. Since 2017, Cipla, one of South Africa's largest pharmaceutical companies, has deployed moveable clinics to deprived areas to help with South Africa's

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

vaccination program. As part of the Cipla Foundation's Sha’p Left project, these containers have been used as Centralised Chronic Medicine Dispensing and Distribution (CCMDD) points across South Africa, with the bulk of the projects in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

References

{{Reflist Clinics Architectural styles Building engineering Intermodal containers