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Doctors Without Borders Constructs 'Plug-and-Play' Hospital in Haiti

by Caleb Johnson on January 22, 2010 at 04:15 PM

With disease and untreated wounds being the largest threats to victims of the recent Haitian earthquake, doctors are struggling to provide adequate health care in the disaster zone. Clean water is scarce, electricity is unreliable, and the environment isn't sterile. But the aid group Doctors Without Borders has found a temporary solution to these problems.

According to Boing Boing, the group has been rapidly constructing a compound in Port-au-Prince that it's calling a "plug-and-play" hospital. The hospital consists of nine inflatable tents, which house about 100 total beds, measure about 100 square meters each, and are equipped with both surgery and intensive care areas. Yesterday, logistics coordinator Hocine Bouhabib hoped to begin receiving patients by this morning. (Watch a video of the construction process after the break.) The most important aspect of this hospital is its independence from the ravaged water and power systems of Haiti. Thanks to generators, a self-contained clean water supply, and sanitation equipment, doctors can focus on healing the sick and wounded rather than worrying about other problems. Think of it as a hospital in a box.

It's comforting to know there's some short-term relief for the people of Haiti, until more long-term aid can be established in the crippled country. [From: Boing Boing]

Tags: architecture, disaster, doctors without borders, DoctorsWithoutBorders, dwb, emergency, haiti, haiti earthquake, Haiti Earthquake relief, haitiearthquake, HaitiEarthquakeRelief, health, hospital, top

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