Zambia’s Ministries of Energy and Health join forces to improve the delivery of health services through solar electrification of unserved health centers

The Government of Zambia has today launched an Action Plan charting the way forward in providing reliable and affordable electricity to unserved health centers using solar to improve the quality of services offered to poor and vulnerable communities. This is in line with the government’s goal of providing equitable quality service for all as laid out in the country’s Vision 2030.

Access to electricity is paramount for optimal functioning of a health facility. It means lighting for safe emergency night-time care and childbirth, refrigeration for blood and vaccines, sterilization facilities, and powering simple medical devices. Yet over 70 percent of rural health facilities in Zambia have no access to electricity, compromising the healthcare of more than 60 percent of the rural population.

Furthermore, many of the health facilities are located too far from the grid to be connected and even those with a grid connection often face power outages. Therefore, off-grid solutions present a key opportunity to provide low carbon, reliable and cost-effective electricity to improve the quality of healthcare services.

A call to Action

The Action Plan, which was accompanied by an Open Letter calling upon development partners and the private sector to support the solarization of health centers in the country, was launched by the Minister of Health Hon. Silvia Masebo, MP,  at the Off-Grid Solar (OGS) Investment Forum on July 8, 2022.

Speaking during the event, Hon Masebo noted that the importance of access to reliable electricity in the delivery of essential health services cannot be over-emphasized. It impacts  on the well-being of women and children.

She pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic had highlighted the adverse effect of lack of electricity on health outcomes. It made it difficult to treat patients in need of ventilators and the lack of refrigeration constrained the  administration of the much-needed vaccines.

“It is in this regard that the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Health and  Power for All, in collaboration with other stakeholders, have developed this Action Plan which seeks to assist in making deliberate plans to electrify health facilities using off-grid systems. The collaboration further has a Call to Action, a letter that highlights the urgent action needed to invest in the electrification of the health facilities to improve the quality of services and outcomes,” she said.

The Action Plan was developed in partnership with the Zambian Health Coalition and the Off-Grid Task force.

“We congratulate the Zambia government through the Ministry of Health and Energy for this milestone. It marks the beginning of accelerating not only SDG3 on health but also SDG7 on Universal Energy Access and this will also create opportunities for jobs and improve livelihoods. The solarization of health centers will have a transformative effect on the lives of the rural and urban communities in Zambia. We would also like to acknowledge the role of the Zambian Health Coalition and the Off-Grid Taskforce,” said Anand Pathanjali, Power for All Partnerships and Campaigns Manager while speaking at the event.

The Zambia Off-Grid Investment Forum

The forum was hosted by the Ministry of Energy with support from the UKAID-funded Africa Clean Energy Technical Assistance Facility (ACE-TAF) and Power for All. In Zambia, ACE TAF has demonstrated the impact of focusing on the nexus between energy and other sectors like health.

The event brought together high-level international and domestic private sector investors and business communities – representatives of social impact, health care and finance to explore areas of collaboration.  It also aimed to raise awareness of the impact and opportunity for electrifying rural health facilities with appropriate solar technologies, thus attracting public and private sector investment for energy in rural clinics and improving health outcomes for millions of Zambians.

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About Power for All,  www.powerforall.org

 Power for All is a global coalition campaigning to accelerate the end of energy poverty by scaling distributed renewable energy solutions. The campaign represents more than 300 business, finance, and civil society organizations focused on decentralized renewables, including household and business solar, mini-grids and productive use appliances.

About  the Africa Clean Energy Technical Assistance Facility (ACE TAF),   https://www.ace-taf.org/

The Africa Clean Energy Technical Assistance Facility (ACE TAF) is a 4-year programme funded by the UK Government Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). It aims to catalyse a market based approach for private sector delivery of renewable energy electrification technologies, with a focus on high quality stand-alone solar systems.