Reliable electricity to advance quality health care in low-resource settings

Reliable, affordable, sustainable, and equitable electricity access in health-care facilities is fundamental to achieving universal health coverage. Decentralised renewable energy systems coupled with battery storage present a key opportunity to rapidly expand access to reliable electricity, particularly for remote facilities where grid connection is unavailable and as a backup for facilities with unreliable power. In this Series paper, we discuss several measures and policy options for accelerating health-care facility electrification, including strengthening monitoring and standardising indicators for electricity services at health-care facilities, prioritising and increasing equitable investment in energy infrastructure for health-care facilities, strengthening coordination between health, energy, and other sectors, building local capacity to instal, operate, and maintain energy systems at health-care facilities, and developing and disseminating energy-efficient biomedical equipment suitable for harsh conditions. Innovative cooperation approaches that leverage synergies between different partners can maximise effect, such as by expanding cold chain platforms to cover all energy needs of health facilities. We highlight effective approaches to ensure long-term functionality of solar electricity systems through tailored delivery models and operation and maintenance arrangements, as well as the need for integrating health-care facility electrification into overall health system strengthening strategies. This integration would also ensure that adequate data are gathered and made available, which is essential to increase research and evaluate outcomes of health-care facility electrification interventions. Achieving universal access to reliable electricity in health-care facilities is both a moral imperative and a strategic investment that will pay dividends in improved health outcomes for all.