Powering Health
Electrification Options for Developing Country Health Facilities
6. Make Investments Sustainable
“Without the correct people and support systems in place, no amount of investment in energy systems and technologies will adequately address the health sector’s energy crisis.”
View the Training Materials section for more information.
The sustainability of any on-site technologies at health facilities requires proper operations, maintenance, and energy management which can only be achieved with proper institutional support structures, funding and training.
These issues are discussed in more detail below:
Maintenance
There are two critical components needed for effective system maintenance: training and funding. While significant progress has been made in including training programs with facility retrofit efforts, funding for replacement parts remains a serious constraint to system sustainability.
Energy Management
Energy management is as much about human behavior and management as it is about technology. The actions of your staff will have a major impact on the amount of energy your health center consumes. In many instances, energy equipment and supply decisions may occur outside the health care facility. For example, a national government agency or donor may provide a diesel or solar system to meet the needs of a rural facility, often without input from you or your clinic staff. Energy use and management decisions, on the other hand, take place at the facility level, and therefore the long-term success of the energy system is one of your responsibilities.
Theft Prevention
High value technology in developing countries is an automatic target for theft. Several techniques have proven effective in mitigating the likelihood of system theft including full-time guards, anti-theft mounting systems and cages, and proper system maintenance.
Institutional Support
Health sector institutions – from the MOH to the health facilities – are organized, staffed, and trained to deliver medical services. These institutions are typically not well equipped to deal with the myriad of issues which are a pre-requisite for the effective and safe operation of health facility energy systems. Consequently, health facility retrofit programs should include efforts to work with all levels of health sector institutions to improve their capacity to address these issues.
View our Privacy Policy
Contact the Webmaster
Last updated: November 17, 2010
The information provided on this Web site is not official U.S. Government
information and does not represent the views or positions of the
U.S. Agency for International Development or the U.S. Government.