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Powering Health

Electrification Options for Developing Country Health Facilities

Laboratory Infrastructure

Reliable energy supply is vital to the successful operation of laboratory infrastructure at health facilities. Intermittent power limits laboratory operating hours while poor quality power quickly destroys sensitive laboratory equipment and compromises the integrity of sensitive lab results. This section examines the specific energy related challenges and solutions for laboratories.

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The Challenge: Impact of Poor Quality Power on Laboratory Operations

Intermittent power as well as improper voltage, frequencies, grounding and wiring are types of power anomalies that can cause problems in the laboratory. Many of these conditions overlap and can occur simultaneously. This is a brief discussion of each of these conditions and what specific problems they cause in the laboratory.


United States Agency for International Development: U.S. AID from the American People

Solutions: On-site Options for Providing Reliable Power to Health Facility Laboratories

Point-of-use conditioning, generator back-up, an inverter/battery system or an inverter/battery system with a no-contact inverter, or a stand-alone off-grid solar power system are options for providing reliable power to health facility laboratories. These options are discussed here.


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Example Laboratory Infrastructure Load Calculations for Developing Countries

Before any on-site energy solution can be developed for a health facility laboratory a load analysis needs to be completed based on the specific equipment and usage patterns for that facility. These examples provide load calculations for some different sized facilities visited in Haiti and Zambia.


Laboratory Case Studies: Haiti and Guyana

Flag of Guyana. Green, with a red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a long, yellow arrowhead; there is a narrow, black border between the red and yellow, and a narrow, white border between the yellow and the green.

Guyana: Mahdia District Hospital

Mahdia district hospital in Guyana serves a resident population of 1000 which swells to 4000 with the addition of workers from local mining operations. It is a priority area for the PEPFAR program based on the high-risk behavior of the mining community. Mahdia can be reached by a six hour drive from the capital Georgetown on dirt roads. The Regional Health Officer (RHO) in Mahdia identified power as his number one challenge. Mahdia district hospital is thought to be representative of district hospitals in Region I, IX, and VII of Guyana which are connected to quasi-grids but provide intermittent and low quality power.


Flag of Guyana. Green, with a red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a long, yellow arrowhead; there is a narrow, black border between the red and yellow, and a narrow, white border between the yellow and the green.

Guyana: Micobee and Tumatumari

Micobee and Tumatumari are small health clinics in Guyana separated by about five miles. These facilities serve a resident population of 360 as well as 300 miners from small villages along the river. Both facilities are attended by a part time local health worker. These facilities are typical of the large number of health posts scattered throughout the interior of Guyana and most other developing countries.


Flag of Haiti. The coat of arms in the center contains a palm tree flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing the motto L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength). Two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red (bottom) with a centered white rectangle bearing the coat of arms.

Haiti: Improving Energy Service at 20 Health Facilities

The quality of grid power in Haiti is ranks among the worst in the world. Many health facilities receive only a few hours of power per day, with prolonged outages of up to a month not uncommon in some locations. The lack of reliable electricity in health facilities across the country complicates the storage of cold chain dependent blood, laboratory reagents and HIV rapid test kits. Power anomalies cause damage to laboratory equipment and jeopardize the accuracy of sensitive laboratory tests. In addition, a significant portion of many health facilities operating budget was used for the purchase of diesel fuel to power generators during frequent power outages. Reducing this expense would allow these facilities to use these funds for other priority needs.