Analysis
With an urgency rooted in a firm commitment to delivering quality care, the Ministry of Health is making significant gains in healtcare electrification after commissioning 25 primary health care facilities with full solar power. Phase three of this healthcare electrification project will see an additional 11 government hospitals, including Connaught, benefit from solar mini-grids. These gains represent the minister’s vision and dedication to ensuring that all of the country’s 1600 health facilities enjoy unfettered access to reliable, uninterrupted power supply.
Freetown, Sierra Leone. November 11th, 2024.
The Deputy Minister of Health 1, Professor Charles Senessie, cuts a tap to mark the symbolic commissioning of 25 PHUs at the Jenner Wright Clinic, after the facilities received twenty-four-hours solar power.
The Government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Health and its development partners, has commissioned 25 peripheral health units (PHUs) with over 200 kilowatt peak (kWp) energy supply. The commissioning, which is part of the second phase of the ongoing Healthcare Electrification Project, is inspired by the Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby.
This history-making event took place the Jenner Wright Clinic, one of the beneficiary facilities, amid much excitment and promise for better service delivery. Funded by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and implementing partners SEforAll, EM-ONE Energy Solutions and Tetra Tech, MoH launched the country’s healthcare electrification project in October 2022 with the vision of providding health facilities with much needed clean, reliable and sustainable power supply. Currently, the project has provided 0.6MWp of installed solar PV capacity with battery storage. This means that health service providers in beneficiary facilities can now conveniently provide critical medical care on a twenty-four-hours basis without worrying about power outages.
The Healthcare Electrification Project’s lead at MoH, Maurine Ferenkeh Koroma, gives a moving speech about the long-term gains of this project for health outcomes.
The Deputy Minister of Health 1, Professor Charles Senessie, officially commissioned the 25 PHUs at a symbolic ceremony held at the Jenner Wright Clinic. Accordding to him, the project embodies the minisry’s vision for a sustainable and climate resilient health care system.
“This solarisation initiative is not just about installing solar panels, it represents our dedication to ensuring that every community has access to reliable and uninterrupted power supply to enhance quality of care.”
For too long, many health facilities, particularly those in remote and underserved communities, have struggled with inconsistent power supply. In fact access to electricity in health facilities is of high priority because reliable energy supply keeps medical equipment running, helps store supplies including drugs and other consumables as well as enables health workers perform their responsibilities optimally.
But, it is estimated that a staggering 38% of health facilities in Sierra Leone lack access to electricity. This puts the population at greater risks and copounds the challenges of deliverying quality healthcare. In addition, nearly a thousand health faccilities are urgently in need of stable power supply. Many continue to run on diesel-powered generators, while others rely on erratic national power grid. As if this is not enough, hospitals are forced to expend a wopping 20% of their monthly revenue on fuel alone in order to keep generators running. Besides the unsustainability of managing running costs, these diesel-powered generators churn out highly toxic hydrocarbon into the atmosphere, contributing to environmental and noise pollution.
This is why electrification of all 1600 health facilities is not just a buzz word; it is a matter of life and death. The Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby, has made an unequivocal commitment at COP28 that Sierra Leone’s health sector is going green and is doing so delibrately. This commissioning event at Jenner Wright is a testament to the Minister’s determination to keep true to his promise.
The Depurty Minister of Health 1, Professor Charles Senessie, central, symbolically turns the sod at Connaught to mark phase 3 of the health care electrification project. This phse will see 11 government hospitals, including Connaught Hospital, benefit from solar mini-grids.
In addition to the 25 PHUs recently commissioned, six government hospitals had already been fully electrified with 2/4 hours solar power and these include the Kabala Government Hospital, Kambia and Masanga among others. Phase three of the healthcare electrification project, which was officially launched by the Deputy Minister of Health 1, during a turning of the sod event, will fully power 11 more government hospitals including Connaugh, Lakka, Port Loko, Kenema Government Hospitals and others with solar PV andd battery systems. Completion of this project will bring the number of fully solarrized government hospitals to 17 with a total of 4.3MWp of full solar power across the country.