The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that close to one billion people in low- and lower-middle-income countries are served by healthcare facilities with unreliable electricity or with no electricity access at all. According to WHO, 15 percent of healthcare facilities lack access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa, whilst only 50 percent of hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa report reliable energy access.
Energy access is key to modern healthcare and a lack of electricity is a major barrier to the quality of healthcare services. From the refrigeration of medical commodities such as vaccines and medication to access to healthcare at night, electricity uplifts communities in numerous ways. It particularly affects rural communities across Africa, with over 100,000 public health facilities in sub-Saharan Africa without reliable electricity according to the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Rural communities are affected in various ways, through energy inequality, restricted healthcare services, and lower quality of life. These issues could be addressed by off-grid solar products such as those distributed by d.light which is showing incredible cost-efficiency and scale, reaching 100s of millions of people.
Energy inequality
Rural sub-Saharan communities have long been disproportionately affected by the lack of access to reliable electricity or any electricity. This has created a clear contrast between urban and rural communities. This energy divide transcends the need for light and affects communities economically as they are deprived of access to improved healthcare, the internet, education, and a better quality of life.
Women are often the key individuals affected by energy inequality. In rural communities, women tend to spend most of their time on chores which could be made easier with access to electricity.
Solar energy must be affordable and should reach all segments of society to address these issues of social inclusion. Innovative approaches such as microgrids and affordable solar lights are key to bridging these gaps.
Restricted health care services
Insufficient and unreliable energy denies access to life-saving care. According to UNICEF, the lifetime risk of maternal death ranges from1 in 11,000 in Western Europe to 1 in 41 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa alone accounted for 70 percent of global maternal deaths in 2020.
Across Africa and Asia, healthcare professionals have reported how access to solar lighting has brought about transformational improvements in their ability to serve expectant mothers and infants. Adequate lighting is imperative for safe labour and deliveries. Solar-powered lights in health clinics empower nurses to provide round-the-clock care, ensuring the well-being of both mothers and new-borns.
Midwives in rural communities that lack access to electricity deliver babies using dangerous kerosene lanterns or are forced to turn away pregnant women if they are in labour in the middle of the night. Solar-powered lights and off-grid energy systems mean that health clinics can extend their operating hours – including for expectant mothers in labour who would otherwise have given birth in darkness.
Quality of life
Solar-powered lights and energy systems not only help health clinics to stay open for longer, but the access to evening light also fosters more vibrant communities where life continues after sunset: shops remain open, health clinics operate for longer, and families can engage in social activities together. Affordable solar technology used in this way can transform a community by supporting education, enabling income generation, and providing safer homes for families.
Quality of life is therefore improved drastically, with adequate lighting in communities enhancing both productivity and safety. Refrigeration helps rural communities with preserving medication and food, improving nutrition and general health, and reducing waste in the process.
Product affordability
Affordability is key when it comes to meeting the needs of rural and underserved communities. Solar devices and solar home systems for off-grid households and communities generally have high up-front costs. d.light’s pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solution addresses the affordability barrier by allowing customers to pay for their product through regular small payments over a set period of time.
d.light’s solar products are specifically designed to be used in more remote communities where access to electricity is limited. The products’ design principles are human-centred, meaning that feedback from actual customers was used to design the product configuration and the processes around payment and after-sales service.
Improving healthcare services for all
Access to off-grid solar lights in rural health clinics in Africa and elsewhere in the developing world can mean the difference between receiving vital care and treatment or not. Improving the health and well-being of pregnant women and their new-born children protects the next generation as well as the families and communities that rely on these women.
Investment in off-grid solar products will ensure rural communities have access to affordable products. Solar energy will reach all segments of society and bridge the gaps between urban and rural communities. As a result, the healthcare services will improve and improve the quality of life for the currently underserved communities.
Image Credit: Aditya Romansa on Unsplash
