Powering Health Care

The United Nations Foundation, together with our partners, is hosting a conference on Clean Energy for Health Care in Nairobi, Kenya from April 24-25, 2019 that will bring together key energy and health sector stakeholders, including policymakers, development partners, practitioners, funders, and NGOs to promote the role of clean energy in creating stronger and more resilient health systems in Africa.

It is estimated that one in four health facilities in Sub-Saharan Africa lacks access to electricity, and three in four facilities lack reliable power. This absence of adequate power impedes the delivery of quality health care. It leads to vaccine spoilage, interruptions in the use of essential medical and diagnostic devices, and lack of even the most basic lighting and communications for maternal delivery and emergency procedures. It also limits the hours of operation and retention of rural health workers and undermines the provision of adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene. Simply put, the capacity of Africa’s health systems – from community clinics to urban hospitals – to deliver adequate care is hugely hampered by the continent’s lack of access to electricity.

The conference is being organized by the UN Foundation, in partnership with Sustainable Energy for All, United Nations Development Programme, International Renewable Energy Agency, U.K. Department for International Development, Energy Sector Management Assistance Program and the World Health Organization.