Haiti – Medical Internet In – A – Box

Providing vital medical information to remote clinics in Haiti

Medical Internet In-A-Box (MIIAB) is using Medical Aid Films to provide important health information for patients and health workers in remote clinics in Haiti.

MIIAB is a laptop held storage device which contains a vast collection of medical information from books, online databases, and films, which can be accessed without internet. Information is available in English, French, and Creole, and is used by medical staff and patients in remote clinics around Haiti.

This initiative grew from a project called Haiti Internet In A Box, which provides computers with similar storage systems to schools in remote areas with no internet connection. Doctors from surrounding clinics soon enquired about the potential of using similar devices in their clinics where internet connection was also very limited and the availability of information and medical references subsequently poor. Moreover, in remote areas clinics do not always have full-time doctors, and the training of nurses is often limited, meaning that improved access to medical information is in demand. MIIAB has integrated our films into its storage system and staff members at clinics use them frequently to hold film screenings on laptops, which reach between 200 and 250 people a month. As well as this, videos are used on an everyday basis, during consultations or even when patients are waiting to be seen at the clinic. Popular topics range from nutrition to child health and people using the videos have found them to be an invaluable teaching tool. Health workers have also reported that users take notes whilst watching in order to share the information with their families and neighbours.

 “I am so pleased with the videos and plan to show them to large groups of patients when I conduct community outreach clinics in other rural communities of Haiti”. Dr Elizabeth Brea, Clinic Doctor in Fondwa

Medical Aid Films has proved a useful component of MIIAB, utilised in a variety of contexts to provide health workers, patients and community members increased access to clear and engaging health information. There are now 12 devices around Haiti and doctors hope to increase the number film screenings to more communities in the future.

Find out more about this partnership and the four films that have been translated into Haitian Creole specifically to serve the health education needs of local communities.