The Nairobi forum emphasized the urgent need to prioritize powering health facilities in Africa to boost response to the continent’s rising disease burden. The Energizing Healthcare 2025 summit, attended by key stakeholders, including policymakers and innovators, seeks to enhance Africa’s healthcare systems through electrification, emphasizing resilience and efficiency. Hosted by Kenya’s Ministries of Health and Energy in partnership with global organizations like Sustainable Energy for All and the World Health Organization, the summit aims to set a new trajectory for healthcare in Africa.
Stephen Nzioka, Kenya’s Director of Renewable Energy, highlighted the importance of electrifying remote health facilities in Africa to address disease burden, poverty, and inequality. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 25,000 facilities lack electricity, while an additional 70,000 have unreliable power. This energy gap hampers healthcare services, including diagnostics and treatment. Nzioka emphasized the link between energy access, climate resilience, and health outcomes. He advocated for connecting off-grid health facilities with renewable energy to support immunization, motivate healthcare workers, and improve access to essential supplies. In Kenya, 26% of health facilities lack electricity and only 15% have reliable power, impacting the universal health coverage agenda.
Salvatore Vinci, technical lead of Healthcare Facilities Electrification at WHO, highlighted the crucial need for reliable, clean, and stable power supply in delivering quality yet affordable healthcare in Africa. He pointed out the continent’s untapped clean energy sources, such as solar and wind, to connect off-grid health facilities dealing with infectious diseases. Vinci stressed the importance of utilizing decentralized solar systems that are reliable, climate-resilient, and cost-effective. He urged addressing policy, funding, and capacity challenges hindering the adoption of clean energy in Africa’s health sector.
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