the to learn presents the latest data on the electrification of healthcare facilities in low- and middle-income countries and forecasts investments needed to achieve adequate and reliable power supply.
It was published by the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforAll).
It’s about life and death
“Electricity access in healthcare facilities can make the difference between life and deathsaid Dr. Maria Neira, WHO Deputy Interim Director-General for Healthier Populations.
“Investing in reliable, clean and sustainable energy for healthcare facilities is not only critical to preparing for a pandemic, it is also urgently needed achieve universal health insuranceas well as Increasing climate resilience and adaptation.”
Access to electricity is critical to providing people with quality healthcare, from delivering babies to dealing with emergencies like heart attacks and ensuring children get life-saving vaccines.
Electricity is needed to power the most basic devices – for example, lighting, communication devices and cooling equipment or those that measure vital signs such as heartbeat and blood pressure. It is also vital for routine and emergency procedures.
differences in access
However, more than one in 10 Healthcare facilities in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa have no access to electricity, according to the report, and electricity is unreliable in half of all facilities in sub-Saharan Africa.
Despite recent advances, around a billion people are being served by healthcare facilities with no reliable power supply, or none at all — a lot, that is almost as large as the combined populations of the United States, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Germany.
There are also strong disparities in access within countries themselves. According to the report, primary care centers and rural facilities are significantly less likely to have access to electricity than hospitals and facilities in urban areas.
Urgent intervention required
The report stressed that electrification of healthcare facilities “needs to be considered highest development priority“.
A World Bank needs assessment included in the report showed that nearly two-thirds of health facilities in low- and middle-income countries are in need of some form of urgent intervention, such as B. a new power connection or an emergency power supply.
Almost $5 billion is urgently needed to bring them to a minimum standard of electrification.
Sustainable solutions available
The authors said that decentralized sustainable energy solutions are available that would have a huge impact on healthcare, citing the example of solar photovoltaic systems that convert sunlight into electricity.
Such solutions are inexpensive, clean and can be deployed quickly on site, so there is no need to wait for the arrival of the central energy grid.
Healthcare systems and facilities are increasingly being impacted by the effects of the climate emergency, the authors added.
Therefore, to make them more resilient, facilities and services must be built that can meet the challenges of climate change while improving environmental sustainability.
China COVID-19 data welcome
In other health news
The World Health Organization (WHO) has welcomed data from China on this COVID-19 increase, acc an explanation issued after a call on Saturday between Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Minister Ma Xiaowei, director of the country’s National Health Commission.
“WHO appreciates this meeting as well as the public release of information on the overall situation,” the UN agency said.
Chinese officials have provided information to the WHO and in a press conference on issues such as ambulances, hospitalizations, patients requiring emergency treatment and critical care, and hospital deaths related to COVID-19.
The WHO analyzes the data covering the period from early December 2022 to January 12, 2023 and recalls that it has asked China to share detailed information.
According to the data, the current strong COVID-19 surge was caused by known Omicron subvariants. It mainly affects the elderly and people with underlying health problems, similar to waves of infection in other countries.
“The reported data indicate a decrease in the number of cases, hospitalizations and the need for intensive care. The WHO has requested a more detailed breakdown of data by province over time,” the statement said.
During the call, Tedros also reiterated the importance of China’s deeper cooperation and transparency in understanding the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and implementing the policies in the report through his Strategic Advisory Group on the Origins of Novel Pathogens.
