Powering Health
Electrification Options for Developing Country Health Facilities
Information and Communications Technology
Health improvements for poor and vulnerable people play a critical role for achieving the development goals especially in the emerging economies. Among other enabling factors, significant advances in the information and communication technologies (ICTs) over the past few decades can be employed to improve the effectiveness of the delivery of heath services for remote clinics in the developing world.
For remote health clinics where grid power is either not available or the supply is highly intermittent and unreliable, distributed or standalone power systems are installed to meet the power requirements for ICT and other equipment. Several options for stand along power exist including small wind, micro hydro, diesel regenerators, solar PV, battery back up etc. While each system has unique advantages, disadvantages are equally evident (see the following table). Therefore, selection of energy efficient ICT equipment is important for proper sizing of the standalone or distributed energy systems.
| ITC Powering System | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel Generator | Familiarity with technology and operation. Low initial cost. | High O&M cost over time, intermittency in diesel supply and low quality of power insufficient to meet the ICT operation needs. |
| Small Wind | Small wind can operate efficiently without the need for high maintenance. Low cost in comparison to solar PV. | Most viable for locations with wind speed of 3.5 m/sec or more. For efficient operation of the wind turbine, no structural obstacles should be near the turbine. Wind system should be located close to the ICT site to avoid the transmission energy loss. |
| Micro – Hydro | Low initial and maintenance costs. | Micro-hydro installations can be constricted if there is large distance between the location of the hydro resource to the end use ICT station. Also, seasonal variation in water flow, during severe drought conditions, and its impact on ICT power requirement can significant limit the application of micro hydro dependent powering option ICT infrastructure. |
| Solar PV | For remote health clinics, PV is the most promising powering option. Due to the ease of scalability, PV systems can be designed to meet low (tens of Watts) to high (100s of kW) power requirements. | High initial cost is a deterrent for PV acceptance. |
| Back-up Battery | Deep cycle batteries are easily available, quite and easy to operate. ICT equipment can be directly feed DC power from the battery. | Regular deep discharge of the battery and improper maintenance can significantly reduce the battery life requiring its displacement more often. |
ICT Systems and Power Requirement
ICT technologies are broadly classified into the following three categories (adapted from Winrock, 2004):
- Electronic Office equipment: Computer monitors, CPUs, notebooks, personal digital assistants (PADs), fax machines, printers copiers etc.
- Broadcasting and recording systems: Television sets, radios, videocassette recorders and DVD players.
- Real-time communication systems: Mobile cellular phones, fixed cellular phones, mobile satellite phones, fixed satellite phones, land mobile and high frequency radio handsets, spread spectrum wireless terminals (e.g. WiFi) and VSAT remote stations.
Depending on the needs of a rural health clinic, a clear understanding of the ICT equipment and their corresponding power requirements is needed for design of a distributed energy system. The following tables provide some indicative power consumption of typical ICT equipment used for rural health clinics.
As power is a high premium for rural health clinics, when a decision for ICT system deployment is considered, it is important to compare the power consumption of ICT devices from different equipment suppliers while achieving the similar functionality.
| Device | Operation | Standby/sleep Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Computers 1 | ||
| Desktop Computer | 60-250 Watts | 16 Watts |
| Notebook | 15-45 Watts | |
| Monitors 1 | ||
| Typical 17" CRT | ˜80 Watts | Sleeping (dark screen) 0-15 Watts Turned off at switch 0-10 Watts |
| 19" LCD | 17-31 Watts | |
| 20-24" LCD | 18-72 Watts | |
| Other Office Equipment 2 | ||
| Fax machine | 100 Watts | 10-30 Watts |
| Copier | 200-1300 Watts | 7-30 Watts sleep mode 40-300 Watts standby mode |
| Printer: Laser | 150-1100 Watts | 25-80 Watts |
| Printer: Inkjet | 120 Watts | |
1. Source: michaelbluejay.com
2. Source: kilowatts.com.au
| Device | Operation | Standby/sleep Mode |
|---|---|---|
| General Systems 1 | ||
| LCD TV (26" to 31.5") | 39-81 Watts | 0.12-0.8 Watts switched off |
| VCR Players | 20-25 Watts | 5-7 Watts (those with inbuilt clock use power when connected to the energy source) |
| DVD Players | 10-15 Watts | 1-5 Watts |
| Radio | 8-12 Watts (max. 20 Watts) | Both AC and DC sources can be used. Typically AA batteries are used. |
| HF/VHF/UHF Radio Systems 2 | ||
| Radio transceiver: 3-20 Watt | 25-65 Watts | <3-30 Watts |
| Radio transceiver: 50-100 Watt | 160-320 Watts | |
| Terminal node controller (TNC) | <2 Watts | |
| Handheld unit (1-7 Watt, battery operated) | Transmitting: 7-27 Watts Receiving: 2-4 Watts | <1 Watt |
1. Source: crutchfield.com and Winrock, 2004
| Device | Consumption |
|---|---|
| Mobile cellular phones | ˜5 Watts |
| Fixed cellular phones | ˜5 Watts |
| Mobile satellite phones | ˜5 Watts |
| Fixed satellite phones | |
| Spectrum wireless terminals (e.g. WiFi) | <2 Watts for PC Cards 4-7 Watts for access point |
| VSAT units | ˜60 Watts (Typical) ˜30 Watts for low power VSAT models, 15 Watts when idle and 5 Watts in the standby mode enabled with power management software |
Additional Resources
Several success stories have demonstrated that effective use of ICT help in health management and information, disease control and prevention and diagnosis and treatment. For example, the use of ICTs has prevented maternal deaths in Peru, Egypt and Uganda. Through mobile phones, TB patients in South Africa receive timely reminders to take medication. The use of global satellite technology helps track outbreaks of epidemics and ensures effective prevention and treatment can reach people in time in Bangladesh and India. The following resources further demonstrate the vital role ICT can play to alleviate health concerns associated with remote and rural health clinics.
Resource Guides
Guide to Energy Options for Small-Scale Rural ICT Projects, (PDF 1,764K)
This guide addresses the challenge of meeting the small-scale energy needs of ICT installations in rural and remote areas where there is insufficient access to high-quality, reliable electricity to meet the needs of the ICT installation.
Improving Health, Connecting People: The Role of ICTs in the Health Sector of Developing Countries, (PDF 664K)
This framework paper describes the major challenges faced in using ICTs effectively in the health sector of developing countries. It draws out good practice, identifies major players and stakeholders, and highlights priority needs and issues of relevance to policy makers who are involved in the development or management of programmes in developing countries.
Web Resources
Promoting good health, preventing illness and communicating about health issues are important aspects of effective health care. Increasingly, health communication is moving from a simple one-way delivery of messages to a more interactive dialogue that engages people and communities and helps them find appropriate solutions.
Source is an international information support centre designed to strengthen the management, use and impact of information on health and disability.
The Global Health Information Network (TGHIN) is a community of health professionals dedicated to accelerating the effective design and use of Health Information Systems in developing countries.
The main goal of SPIDER is to support developing countries in harnessing the benefits of ICTs for development and poverty alleviation. In practical terms, it means promotion of and support to relevant Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) efforts at partner institutions and organisation in developing countries and establishment of networks of collaboration.
The Communication Initiative (The CI) network is an online space for sharing the experiences of, and building bridges between, the people and organisations engaged in or supporting communication as a fundamental strategy for economic and social development and change.
A consortium of health NGOs that was set up in April 2000 to explore ways of harnessing information and communication technology (ICTs) for community health and development in rural and marginalized communities.
Helping to empower local, national and international non-profit organisations to make better use of information and communications technology. Specialising in the application of mobile technology, it provides a wide range of ICT-related services.
The Application Laboratory is an initiative of the Grameen Foundation. We work to promote innovation in the provision of services and information using mobile phones and other ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) to alleviate poverty in the developing world.
Inveneo, Connecting Those Who Need It Most.
Inveneo and their in-country partners design and deliver highly sustainable and affordable ICT solutions for organizations that provide vital services – education, healthcare, economic development – in rural and under-served areas in the developing world.
Case Studies
AfriAfya: Communication Strategies
Established in April 2000, AfriAfya (African Network for Health Knowledge Management and Communication) is a network of non-governmental organisations working to explore how to harness information and communication technologies (ICTs) for community health in Kenya. The network works to improve the health and development status of communities in rural and marginalised areas through networks of community resources centres, which offer access to new technologies and information.
AfriAfya conducts research and initiates community communications programmes through resource centres located in vulnerable communities across Kenya, with some activities in other countries in Eastern Africa. According to the organisers, the resource centres represent a focal point within a community for learning and change – a place where community members can seek out information relevant to their needs and exchange knowledge. Each centre is equipped with a computer, printer, television, video player, digital camera, audio tape recorder, mobile phone, and a World Space receiver. Because many of these facilities have no electricity, AfriAfya has facilitated the installation of solar panels and batteries to power the ICTs in the centres.
Polio Tunes on Phones
An anti-polio campaign in India included the use of polio eradication messages on landline and cell phone numbers to raise awareness about polio among phone users. The campaign ran from January 4-7, 2007 and was launched by the office of the civil surgeon.
Tele-Consultation Based on Medical Images in Brazil
The project T@lemed in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul used medical tele-consultation, to perform both real-time and off-line image-based consultations. The platform enable doctors view the images on the same chat window and communicate over far of distances. This ICT platform offers both viewer and communication functionality over the TCP/IP networks.
Telemedicine for Rural Health Clinics in Uganda
The RESCUER project (The Rural Extended Services and Care for Ultimate Emergency Relief) was launched in March 1996, on a pilot basis, in Iganga district in Eastern Uganda. The project helped empower a network of Traditional Birth Attendants to partner with the public health service centers to deliver health care to pregnant women.
A study was carried out in July 1999 to investigate the effect of ICT on maternal health care in the project area, but specifically to find out the role and contribution of the communication component to the referral project. Midwives in primary level referral health units and in the secondary or district referral hospital, project administrators, Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) and some women beneficiaries were interviewed using an open ended interview schedule which produced rich qualitative data.
For various reasons, the VHF radio was the type of ICT selected to be used in the project. This included fixed base stations at the health units, mobile walkie talkies with the TBAs, and vehicle radios in the referral hospital ambulance and the District Medical Officer’s vehicle. The VHF radio is solar powered, hence avoiding the common electric power shortage or surge problems.
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Last updated: September 28, 2011
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