Empowering the Health Sector Through Solar Access: A Lifeline for Zimbabwe's Medical Facilities

The medical staff in over 16 districts in rural Zimbabwe used to turn away patients and delay vaccinations for children. Today, they can attend to the sick 24/7 without disruptions. What changed? Access to solar power allowed them to overcome challenges with the national grid, leading to better cold chain management and improved provision of medical care in some of the remotest areas of the country.

As part of the government's leadership in this sector, this progress was made possible by the Zimbabwe COVID-19 Response and Essential Health Services Project (ZCREHSP) which inThe ZCREHSP installed solar panels in 200 locations across rural Zimbabwe and provided solar-powered fridges to make sure that vaccines are adequately stored; other medications whose quality depends on proper cold chain management are benefiting as well.

The solar installation has also improved the experience of the medical workers: they can now send statistics in real time and attend to patients at all hours of the night. Local communities are also benefiting by accessing water at the facilities, as the boreholes are now powered by solar energy.

“We are grateful for this development that has come to our community. We used to come here with our women in labor by night. We were using torches and would struggle when the torch batteries were dead. One had to rush to the shops to buy batteries and sometimes the shops would be closed. Because of this intervention, women are now delivering in the light,” says Maqabe Moyo, Community Leader, Silobela District.

“The Solar for Health Initiative has revitalized the health facilities and transformed service delivery in these communities. Our health facilities would face challenges to an extent that we needed a back-up since most of them are not electrified. Almost all facilities would now perform the facility based outreach hence it also saw the district raise its coverage from 70% up to 101%,” says Nkosilathi Mulinane, Nurse in Charge, Gokwe North.

A $6.6 million initiative co-financed by the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Trust Fund ($5 million) and Energy Sector Management Assistance Program Trust Fund ($1.6 million), the project was initially established to mitigate the devastating impact of the pandemic on public health and socio-economic development in Zimbabwe. As part of an expanded health response, the initiative went on to strengthen the country’s healthcare system while enhancing its capacity to effectively manage the ongoing crisis.

Despite the setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Zimbabwe has made commendable progress in providing reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (RMNCAH) services. The Solar for Health Initiative has ensured that essential health services continue to be delivered in rural Zimbabwe with improved quality of care and implementation of lifesaving interventions.

Sustainability
The contractors that set up the solar panel systems entered warrant agreement periods with the Ministry of Health and Child Care of between 10 and 12 years for some components, such as batteries and panels, ensuring that the installations would keep working in the medium to long run. Additionally, after setting up the panels, the contractors trained at least two health workers per facility on troubleshooting and preventative maintenance. Finally, the Department of Public Works was involved at all stages to create a working relationship between engineers and technicians, another guarantee for future sustainability.

In the long term, discussions are ongoing to facilitate the connection of eligible facilities to the national power grid so that, should these facilities generate excess power, they can sell it back to the grid at an agreed price. There are also plans to introduce a remote monitoring system to check on power generation and usage and to detect any faults in order to allow timely problem solving.