By Morlai Sesay
In a bid to improve the situation of frequent power outages across public health facilities, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Austin Hinga Demby, in a correspondence dated Wednesday, 24th April 2024, unveiled plans to install solar plants at 300 peripheral health units by the end of 2024.
The Honorable Minister stated that his Ministry is aware of the current electricity challenges faced by hospitals across the country. Due to the nationwide electricity difficulties, he revealed that the impact has been felt even in health facilities. To fill this alarming gap, Demby asserted that the hospitals have traditionally relied on diesel-powered generators, which are expensive to run and could account for over 20% of hospital expenditure.
Over the last years, the Minister elucidated that the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, with support from its partners, has worked diligently to resolve the problem of power outages in health facilities by transmitting reliable, environmentally friendly, and efficient solar alternatives. Solar power plants have been installed at six major government hospitals across the country, with 11 more to be installed by the end of the year.
The public notice further states that in December last year, the Ministry and its partners established 300KW solar solutions at the Princess Christian Maternity Hospital (PCMH) and Ola During Children Hospital (ODCH) as supplemental energy solutions. However, the Minister affirms that the solar plant is not enough to power both hospitals at 1.3MW exclusively but was meant to serve as a backup supply to the national grid and that if efficiently used, the solar plant can cover electricity needs at the hospital during the power outages, especially for life-saving emergencies.
To improve the situation of frequent power outages across public health facilities, Minister Demby discussed how his Ministry is putting in place the following measures: "The Ministry of Health is in urgent discussion with the Ministry of Energy to prioritize energy supply to all major government hospitals by installing dedicated power lines to these facilities; Robust resource mobilization and advocacy to complete solar power plant installation for all public health facilities across the country; Proper operational mechanisms for these solar plant installation in hospitals to ensure appropriate use for quality health care service delivery."
For PCMH specifically, the Minister disclosed that his Ministry has facilitated engagement between solar experts and PCMH hospital leadership to ensure the efficient use of solar power to maximize coverage during power outages. The Ministry, he said, is also ensuring that a backup generator and fuel supply are available in the event that both the solar power and national grid supplies are off.
Minister Demby furthered that the Ministry had been aware of leadership challenges at the PCMH hospital and had been putting measures in place for the past month to address them. " One such measure is the official appointment of Dr. Amadu Sesay, who had been acting as medical superintendent at PCMH for the past month, to continue to act in this capacity. The Ministry is very grateful to Dr. Sesay for graciously consenting to serve in his position and would support him to work at his full potential."
The Minister ended his statement by expressing sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives amid these challenges. "We also thank and appreciate all health workers across the country for their efforts and dedication to providing quality healthcare for all Sierra Leoneans. Despite the challenges faced by the health sector, we want to reiterate our commitment to work with all stakeholders to ensure every Sierra Leonean has access to quality health care," he assured.
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