Kaduna signs contract for operation, maintenance of solar clinics

Kaduna state primary health care development agency on Thursday signed a contract for operation and maintenance of 34 solar clinics in the state.

 

 

The state government had in 2016 began installation of a total of 1.7MW of solar systems in Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the state in partnership with the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

 

 

According to the executive secretary of the Kaduna State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Hajiya Hadiza S. Balarabe, 34 PHCs in 21 local government areas received the systems.

 

 

"’As part of the agreement, DFID committed funding for the installation while the state government committed to establishing and funding the operation and maintenance. In fulfillment of that commitment, we are here to witness the contract signing for the operation and maintenance of the 34 solar systems,"

 

 

"At its initiation, this project was the first of its kind in northern Nigeria ensuring that the selected healthcare centres, serving over 180,000 patients annually can be supplied all the power they need to provide quality healthcare round the clock in an environmentally friendly manner. On average, almost 6,000 babies are delivered every yet across 34 primary healthcare centres – 44percent at night and due to lack of grid electricity access at remote PICs, staff are often forced to deliver babies that come at night under candle light," she said.

 

 

She noted that the solar systems have eradicated the need for noisy generators thereby reducing carbon emissions and creating a more serene environment for patients.

 

 

 

"It is for these reasons that the significance of starting these solar systems for their entire lifespan of 20years cannot be overstated. The state in its quest for quality services and improving uptake and utilization of services especially at night will in the near future scale up the project to additional sites including schools and rural general hospitals," she added.

 

 

Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant on Energy to Governor El-Rufai, Ms. Dolapo Popoola, said the  State Government has secured an additional grant of 10 million Euros from the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS for the scale-up of the Kaduna Solar intervention. 

 

 

"This will see the program being expanded to rural general hospitals, public secondary schools, water treatment facilities and more primary healthcare facilities to improve healthcare delivery, education and availability of water in rural communities," she said.