Deep in the heart of Mombasa Island, there was a temporary health center for emergency obstetrics and neonatal care in what seemed like an unusual building. As part of what was called The Container Village, a temporary health center built entirely from Shipping Containers and run by Doctors Without Borders in Likoni, southwest of Mombasa Island in Kenya, provided much needed health care.

Before January 2016, when The Container Village opened up, there were no emergency obstetric or neonatal care facilities in Likoni, a highly populated area. Previous to January 2016, expectant mothers would have had to take a ferry across the channel to Mombasa Island proper. While doable, it was certainly more risky, particularly if there was a complicated birth scenario.

The facility offered 30 beds, a delivery room, a blood bank, and an operating theater for instruction on various health classes. The structure served as a temporary hospital before a more permanent one could be built.

In early 2018 Likoni opened a permanent obstetrics hospital. While The Container Hospital currently sits empty, it continues to be a soft spot in the hearts of the people it served and is an excellent example of how useful shipping container buildings can be in the use of emergency services and healthcare to remote regions.