A Reminder of the Need for Container Clinics

Sometimes it is easy for us to take for granted our access to even basic medical care in the United States. Read this account of an experience from our staff. It’s stories like these that remind us at Hospitals of Hope of why we are here and why we hope to bring change.

At the JFK Memorial Medical Center in Monrovia, Liberia, a man limped into the emergency room. He lived in a remote part of Liberia and had gotten bit by a poisonous snake while working in a field. Since no proper medical clinic was nearby, he first visited the witch doctor who basically just applied manure to his leg. After his leg only got worse and not better, he walked two days to the hospital for treatment. By the time he arrived, his leg was so swollen that he could barely walk. He desperately needed the proper anti-venom to counter-act the poison that had already worked its way through his body. He was immediately treated for the snake bite but he needed to have the leg that had turned gangrene amputated. Because in his culture he would be viewed as worthless if he did not have his leg he would rather die than have his leg amputated. His condition worsened and he died hours later.

It is tragic experiences like this that inspired Hospitals of Hope to find an innovative and practical way to provide the basic medical care that is needed around the world.

One of the most exciting ways we work to prevent unnecessary deaths and give quality medical care is with our Clinic in a Can program. Clinic in a Cans are self-contained medical clinics built in 40-foot shipping containers that can be sent nearly anywhere in the world, creating an instant, fully-equipped medical clinic.

We are thrilled we have been able to send a total of ten container clinics, but we know there is always a need. We hope to continue partnering with other organizations to bring these innovative container clinics to even more communities around the world to help bring change.