Clinic Electrification
Through our Clinic Electrification program, Let There Be Light International partners with Solar Health Uganda to install solar panel systems at front-line off-grid health centers, improving access to care and quality of care for more than 1 million people in Uganda.
Learn how our Clinic Electrification programming is improving healthcare and changing lives
in off-grid Ugandan communities.
Most health clinics in sub-Saharan Africa lack reliable access to electricity. Imagine having a health emergency and arriving at a health center to receive care by the dim light of a candle or a cell phone’s flashlight. Worse, imagine arriving at a clinic and finding it closed after sundown.
No lights, no healthcare.
Our Clinic Electrification programming solar-electrifies off-grid health clinics in Uganda to increase access to quality healthcare, support local health workers, and improve community-level health outcomes.
The Health Clinics
LTBLI began solar-electrifying off-grid health clinics in 2014. Today, 90 health clinics are using solar to provide light, power medical devices and appliance, support their staff, and provide healthcare to more than 1 million people.
Services
The 90 health clinics offer a wide range of services and most now stay open 24 hours/day. The average health clinic serves a community of about 12,000 people.
The most common ailments across the sites are: respiratory and eye infections, malaria and stomach flu. Respiratory and eye infections are linked to and exacerbated by exposure to indoor air pollution in homes using kerosene lamps and smokey cookstoves. Malaria and its complications are also endemic in the area.
While many homes have insecticide treated bed-nets to help prevent malaria, patients often avoid using their nets due to a fear of fires caused by accidental contact between the nets and open-flamed kerosene lights. After receiving a solar light, 90% of families report using their bed-net more.
Electrification Benefits
Clinic electrification is critical for healthcare access and delivery. No matter where you live, healthcare requires reliable, safe energy!
Without access to energy, clinics cannot remain open after dark and communication and care is compromised. Furthermore, clinic staff need and deserve electricity in their staff quarters, a core component of our clinic electrification program.
