- The report showed that close to one billion people in low- and lower-middle-income countries were served by healthcare facilities with unreliable or no electricity.
- Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest investment requirement in accelerating electricity access in healthcare facilities, illustrating the region’s high level of energy insecurity in healthcare facilities.
A joint report from the World Health Organisation, the World Bank, the International Renewable Energy Agency, and the Sustainable Energy for All have revealed that Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania needs about $2.5bn investment in accelerating electricity access in healthcare facilities.
The report titled “Energizing Health: Accelerating Electricity Access in Healthcare Facilities” stated that at least 25,000 healthcare facilities in sub-Saharan Africa had no electricity access, 68,350 healthcare facilities only had access to unreliable electricity while only half of the hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa had access to reliable electricity. The report showed that close to one billion people in low- and lower-middle-income countries were served by healthcare facilities with unreliable electricity or no electricity, noting that approximately 15 per cent of sub-Saharan African healthcare facilities had no electricity access.
According to the report, sub-Saharan Africa had the highest investment requirement in accelerating electricity access in healthcare facilities, illustrating the region’s high level of energy insecurity in healthcare facilities. A World Bank needs analysis in the report showed that almost two-thirds (64 per cent) of healthcare facilities in low and middle-income countries required urgent intervention. For instance, a new electricity connection or a backup power system and some $ 4.9bn are urgently needed to bring them to a minimal standard of electrification.