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Powering Health

Electrification Options for Developing Country Health Facilities

Wiring

A power receptacle is labeled

Proper labeling of outlets and lines is essential. (Photo: Jeff Haeni)

The wiring in developing country health facilities is often in terrible shape and represents a major obstacle which must be addressed in order to improve the power supply to the facility. It is not uncommon for a facility to double or triple their electrical loads with no associated upgrade of the facility's wiring.

Proper wiring is required for the following reasons:

  1. Safety – Improperly sized or worn out wiring provides a serious fire hazard for a health facility.
  2. System Maintenance – Diagnosing problems with a system which is not wired in a professional manner is extremely difficult. Health facility electrical systems can be complex and professional wiring with associated diagrams and descriptions are essential to allow engineers and health facility personnel to operate and maintain the system.
  3. Load Separation – One common technique used in health facility electrical systems is to separate the critical from non-critical loads. Most developing country health facilities must be rewired in order to isolate critical loads which can be powered by a back-up system such as a diesel generator or UPS/battery system. Outlets which are connected to UPS systems should be properly labeled and monitored daily to ensure that only critical loads are connected.
Old electrical equipment is scorched, showing evidence of an electrical firePoor electrical wiring in a health clinic in Haiti.Poor wiring in an electrical panel.

The poor wiring in these photos from Haiti and Ethiopia are typical of developing country health facilities. The photo on the left shows evidence of an electrical fire that resulted from the wiring. (Photos: Left and Center by Walt Ratterman, Right by Jeff Haeni)