The research presents the latest data on the electrification of healthcare facilities in low- and middle-income countries, and outlines the investments needed to achieve adequate and reliable electricity trust.
It was published by the World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforAll).
A matter of life and death
“Access to electricity in healthcare facilities can make the difference between life and death,” said Dr. Maria Neira, WHO Interim Assistant Director-General for Healthier Populations.
“Investing in reliable, clean, and sustainable energy for healthcare facilities is not only important for pandemic preparedness, but essential to achieve universal health insuranceas enhance climate resilience and adaptation.”
Access to electricity is critical to providing people with quality health care, from delivering a baby to handling emergencies like a heart attack or making sure children get life-saving vaccines. living.
Electricity is required to power the most basic devices – such as lighting, communication and refrigeration equipment, or those that measure vital signs such as heart rate and blood pressure. It is also important for both routine and emergency procedures.
Differences in access
However, more than one in 10 According to the report, health facilities in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are completely without electricity, and power is unreliable in half of the facilities in sub-Saharan Africa.
Despite recent advances, around one billion people are served by healthcare facilities without a reliable power supply, or without electricity at all – a figure is nearly as large as the entire population of the United States, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Germany combined.
There are also marked differences in accessibility within the countries themselves. According to the report, primary health care centers and rural facilities have less access to electricity than hospitals and facilities in urban areas.
Urgent intervention needed
The report emphasizes that the electrification of healthcare facilities “must be considered.” maximum development priority“.
A World Bank needs analysis, included in the report, found that nearly two-thirds of healthcare facilities in low- and middle-income countries need some form of urgent intervention, such as new electrical connection or backup power supply.
Nearly $5 billion is urgently needed to bring them to a minimum electrification standard.
Sustainable solutions available
The available decentralized sustainable energy solutions will have a huge impact on health delivery, the authors say, citing the example of a solar photovoltaic system that converts sunlight into electricity. .
Such solutions are cost effective, clean and can be quickly deployed on site, meaning there is no need to wait for the arrival of the central grid.
The authors add that health care systems and facilities are increasingly affected by the impacts of the climate emergency.
Thus, making them more resilient calls for building facilities and services that can meet the challenges of climate change while improving environmental sustainability.
China COVID-19 data welcomed
In other health news,
The World Health Organization (WHO) has welcomed data from China on COVID-19 mutant, according to statement comes after a conversation on Saturday between Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Minister Ma Xiaowei, the director of the country’s National Health Commission.
“WHO appreciated this meeting, as well as the release of information on the general situation,” the UN agency said.
Chinese officials provided information to WHO and during a press conference on topics including outpatient clinics, hospitalizations, patients in need of urgent treatment and intensive care, and deaths. hospital deaths related to COVID-19.
The WHO, which is analyzing the data, covers the period from early December 2022 to January 12, 2023, reiterating that it has asked China to share details.
According to the data, the current intense COVID-19 outbreak is caused by known Omicron subvariants. It mainly affects older adults and people with underlying health conditions, similar to the wave of infections in other countries.
“The reported data shows a decrease in the number of cases, hospitalizations and those requiring intensive care. WHO has requested a more detailed analysis of the data by province over time,” the statement said.
During the call, Tedros also reiterated the importance of China’s deeper cooperation and greater transparency in understanding the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and in implementing the recommendations detailed in Joint statement. report cause of it Strategic Advisory Group on the Origin of New Pathogens.
