Securing Health Care with Solar Power

Securing Health Care by Electrifying a Hospital in Rural Benin

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Last edit made by Helen Mengs on 2024-05-07. This is a wiki, do not hesitate to update information by clicking on "Edit with form".

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Key Data

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Organisation

Culture, Education, Recherche pour le Développment au Bénin (CERD) ; Gemeinde Bürgerkomitee für Entwicklungszusammenarbeit Steinhagen (GBK, Community Citizens’ Committee for Development Cooperation Steinhagen)

Duration

June 2022 - September 2023

Project Description

To address the lack of medical care, the non-governmental organisation CERD built its own hospital at the entrance to Boukombé. The aim of this project is to equip this hospital with a photovoltaic system and at the same time connect it to the national electricity grid. The intention is to avoid high electricity bills for the hospital. Patients are to receive comprehensive and at the same time cost-effective medical treatment. With this equipment, the hospital offers its medical staff an attractive workplace and improves the quality of health care in Boukombé in the long term. To electrify the hospital, CERD expands its team with two technical experts coordinating the installation of the system. A selected solar company installs the system consisting of photovoltaic solar panels, storage batteries and the grid connection. The solar energy is used to power lamps, a water pump, a steriliser, an ultrasound machine, oxygen concentrators, aspirators, refrigerators and computers. To ensure sustainable use of the system, the entire hospital staff is trained in its use towards the end of the project.

The described approach makes the health centre largely independent of the volatile power grid and at the same time uses the grid as a backup for the night or less sunny days. The large solar component of the systems relieves the non-profit organisation CERD of high electricity prices. In turn, they are able to pass on these lower costs to their patients and offer medical care also to those who otherwise would not be able to afford it. This can serve as an example project for other social infrastructure.

GBE Component

Small Projects Fund

Categories

• Productive Use
• Social Institutions

Factsheet

Location

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Country SPF

Benin

Geographic coordinates of project site

0° 18' 58.61" N, 32° 34' 55.88" E

Latitude            Longitude

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• Securing Health Care by Electrifying a Hospital in Rural Benin
• Productive Use

• Social Institutions