Access to healthcare is a fundamental human right, but for more than 600 million Africans, it remains unattainable. Frequent power cuts and incompatible, power-hungry medical equipment makes it difficult and expensive to provide essential medical services to rural communities. This means patients suffer: mothers give birth in darkness, premature babies lack incubators to help them survive, and preventative care for a wide range of treatable conditions is unavailable.

Designing medical appliances tailored to the different energy settings across the continent is key to improving healthcare in off and weak-grid communities.

Mismatched equipment and energy

Medical equipment, from basic diagnostic equipment to life-saving devices like incubators and vaccine refrigerators, often fail in areas with unreliable energy. They are designed for stable grids in different contexts, which means that around 70% of medical devices in the Global South do not function and go unused. To date, little progress has been made in the adoption of energy-efficient medical appliances.

“Most of the electric medical appliances do not conform to the wiring system and their electricity demands are too high in terms of their voltage, leading to frequent damage of appliances and high electricity bills,” says Victor Ajumbo, the Facility in Charge at the Ober Kamoth Sub-County Hospital in Kisumu.

CLASP, in partnership with SEforALL, is studying the efficiency and performance of medical appliances in off and weak-grid clinics in Kisumu, Kenya–one of the first attempts to assess the suitability of conventional medical devices and appliances in energy-constrained settings. Findings from the Medical Appliances for Clinic Electrification project will help manufacturers design appliances that are better suited to these contexts and support governments in developing appropriate clinic electrification solutions.

Energy efficiency matters in healthcare

Reliable energy and efficient medical appliances are key to addressing Kenya’s healthcare energy gap, where 26% of facilities lack electricity and only 15% have access to reliable power. Many clinic electrification projects install energy systems that are too small or unreliable to meet the needs of their medical equipment. Frequent power cuts and voltage fluctuations often destroy the equipment. Studying the energy consumption of medical equipment is the first step to understanding the scale of the problem and designing appropriate appliances that can safely deliver reliable healthcare in these unique contexts.

“We can’t conduct baby deliveries when there is a power outage,” says Irene Akello, Facility in Charge at the Kuoyo Health Centre in Kisumu County. “It’s a risk the facility cannot take, so pregnant mothers are referred elsewhere. Reliable energy is essential to power critical devices like the resuscitaire (incubator), which supports babies born in critical condition.”

Reliable cooling creates opportunities for growth

Energy efficient appliances not only improve access to healthcare in complex settings but also greatly contribute to sustainability in Africa’s medical sector. Hospitals require around 119 kWh of electricity per square meter annually to function properly, making them one of the most energy-demanding institutions to run. To put this into perspective, a single hospital bed needs as much power as three to four single-family houses. Replacing the inefficient devices in medical facilities with energy efficient alternatives can help to reduce electricity consumption, which in turn cuts operating costs and reduces carbon emissions.

“The healthcare sector contributes 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions globally. Around 71% of that comes from supply chains, which include medical appliances. Transitioning to efficient appliances can lower this impact considerably while supporting clinics in off and weak-grid areas to buy the right equipment to serve their communities,” says CLASP’s Emily Bolo.

A path forward

Africa’s ever-changing landscape needs an energy system that matches its diversity and growth, and the demands that come with it. Efficient medical appliances are an important part of this system and can be a game changer for healthcare delivery in Africa’s off and weak-grid communities.

CLASP’s research in Kenya is a crucial step towards bridging the gap between energy and healthcare. With the right energy systems and efficient appliances that match them, under-resourced communities can come one step closer to rightly realising their fundamental human right to healthcare.

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