Energy access represents a significant barrier to effective healthcare delivery, and it is estimated that globally, one billion people seek care from facilities that have unreliable electricity or none at all. The issue is particularly acute in sub-Saharan Africa, where only 28 per cent of healthcare facilities have reliable electricity supply.
Development partners in the energy access and healthcare spaces have sought to tackle this challenge by launching several large-scale partnerships to close the global healthcare electrification gap, in many cases by leveraging the potential of distributed renewable energy sources, and in particular, solar technology.
The healthcare electrification gap is particularly acute in fragile and displacement settings, where many facilities are underpowered or completely without electricity. These facilities are commonly funded and installed by humanitarian organisations leading emergency response activities, often in partnership with government health authorities. Yet ensuring long-term operation and maintenance of these systems has proven to be a persistent issue. There is also limited funding available from the humanitarian sector to expand these systems to meet higher demand, and they are more likely to be excluded from national electrification planning.
The present report led by the Global Platform for Action (GPA) on Sustainable Energy in Displacement Settings with the support of NORCAP defines the humanitarian healthcare electrification gap and identifies its causes. In particular, challenges that hinder the maintenance and expansion of the electricity supply to these facilities include short-term humanitarian budget cycles, a lack of financial and management capacity among government partners responsible for long-term stewardship, or difficulty in operationalising available capacity.
