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Powering Health

Electrification Options for Developing Country Health Facilities

Zambia PEPFAR Logo

Zambia

Map of Zambia and its neighbors. Bordering Zambia (clockwise) are Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Mali, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola. The capital, Lusaka, is located centrally, near the Southern border with Zimbabwe.

Map of Zambia and its neighbors.

The USG PEPFAR program is a multi-country, multi-billion dollar initiative to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS in developing countries (www.pepfar.gov). The PEPFAR program in Zambia is finding the effectiveness, sustainability, and reach of prevention, care and treatment programs are directly compromised by the lack of reliable power at health facilities.

The Challenge

One of the primary challenges of health facilities in Zambia is that many are not connected to the grid. Grid connected facilities face challenges associated with load shedding, occasional outages, and voltage and frequency anomolies although the quality of grid power is significantly better than many other PEPFAR focus countries.

The USAID Energy Team and Zambia PEPFAR team conducted an assessment from April 1-15, 2009 examining options for improving energy supplies at health facilities across the country. A summary of the findings can be found in this presentation – the full assessment report will be available shortly.