There is a soothing feeling one experiences when in a hospital with access to power. The soft hum of medical ventilators brings reassurance of getting the best treatment. It reveals the extent to which technology plays a huge role in healthcare. Technology, however, can only be at its best when there is an adequate power supply. In developed economies, medical centres are among the largest commercial electricity consumers, relying on electric power to carry out activities and perform advanced treatments. Recent studies have highlighted the significance of technology in healthcare and its potential to transform healthcare service delivery for the better.
In developing nations, especially in Africa, the lack of access to electricity hinders technological applications in the healthcare sector. In Nigeria, for instance, a recent study on the public health care facilities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) revealed that grid-connected health facilities receive an average of 4 hours or less of electricity daily. Medical facilities have had to rely on fossil fuel generators as backup power sources, leading to an increase in the amount of CO2 and overall environmental pollution in what should be an area with an excellent healthy environment. This lack of electricity is one of the primary causes of death. A survey by PLOS ONE reveals that between 3 to 105 deaths per 1000 patients in African hospitals are due to the absence of electricity. Without power, medicines spoil, adequate health diagnoses cannot be performed, and certain emergency procedures cannot be carried out.
To achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 – ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all – Africa’s electricity deficit has to be solved. Africa possesses vast potential for power generation through renewable energy systems such as solar, wind and hydropower. Unlike diesel generators, renewable energy offers health systems efficient, cost-effective, reliable and clean sources of electricity that can expand and improve health care access and delivery to underserved areas.
Several healthcare facilities are already adopting solar photovoltaic systems. The Covid-19 pandemic emphasised the need for energy access for health services provision and the role renewable energy can play in enabling easy energy systems deployment. In Nigeria, for example, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and private financiers like All On Energy financed the deployment of off-grid solar energy solutions for health facilities to help treat and curb the spread of the virus. These solutions’ ease of deployment, flexibility, and reliability made them critical to providing the 24-hour energy services needed. Also, in Ethiopia, renewable energy is improving access to healthcare, as seen by the support from Enel Green Power in developing innovative solar hybrid systems to enable easy access to health systems.
Another benefit of renewable energy to healthcare is that it allows for tailored solutions that fit the demands of different health facilities, with solutions ranging from small solar PV systems to large solar PV arrays. Furthermore, these systems’ low operations and maintenance requirements make them feasible for remote regions where technical capacity may be lacking.
There is an interconnectivity between energy and healthcare, as access to electricity enables access to modern health care, thus a pacesetter to achieving SDG3.