In a nook of a hallway of Idon Rural Hospital in Kaduna State, northwest Nigeria, Victoria Likita tried to pacify her six-week-old child. The little one had simply acquired two of her first jabs: a dose of the pentavalent vaccine, and the Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG) immunisation in opposition to tuberculosis. 

It was 10:30 on a Wednesday morning in late September and Likita, a kitchen utensils retailer, was in a rush to reunite together with her clients at Idon Market Square after greater than a month on maternity break.

“We now vaccinate an average of 50 children per week compared to less than 20 when we had power issues.”

– Nurse Gladys Yakasai

“I ought to have brought her for BCG before now, but I live in Aduma, which is ten kilometres away. I just resumed business today and since the marketplace is not far from here, I left my wares and quickly brought my baby for immunisation,” she mentioned.

Market day is when most girls like Likita, who reside removed from the well being centre, carry their kids for routine immunisation or attend antenatal periods, Gladys Yakasai, a nurse, mentioned. Indeed, the hospital bubbled with exercise. Along corridors, pregnant girls, nursing moms and different outpatients sat in rows in exchanging pleasantries as they waited to be referred to as into the wards.

“They are mostly traders. If you give them an appointment other than Wednesday, which is their market day, many of them would not come. So we receive a lot of patients on market day and they are always in a hurry to go back. The good thing is we are able to attend to all of them,” mentioned Yakasai.

Solar revolution

That wasn’t at all times true. The nurse recalled that till three years in the past, when a 47.5KvA microgrid – a big vitality storage container fed by an array of photo voltaic panels – was put in on the hospital premises, poor energy provide crippled essential providers together with immunisation, maternal care and emergency response. She mentioned instances that ought to have been handled had been referred to well being centres 30 to 100 kilometres away, because of outages.

“I didn’t give birth to my first child here, because the service was poor then. That was four years ago. There were times I would bring her for immunisation and they would tell me some officials had gone to Kachia General Hospital, which is about 30km from here, to bring vaccines. Many of us would eventually leave especially if it was on a market day.”

– Mary Godwin, mom

“In those years, we were afraid to admit pregnant women in labour and patients in emergency conditions, because we barely had electricity to power hospital equipment and our [fossil fuel-powered] generator was unreliable. But since the solar system was installed in 2020, we have been having power supply round-the-clock, and it aids service delivery perfectly, especially when we have emergency cases at night. We now handle two to three childbirths every week and sometimes it could be more. We can also now treat accident victims and serious cases of diarrhoea, malaria and typhoid, among others.

“The photo voltaic vitality additionally allows us to retailer vaccines at applicable levels [temperatures] and administer immunisation frequently. We now vaccinate a mean of fifty kids per week in comparison with lower than 20 once we had energy points. Aside from routine immunisation, lots of people come for COVID-19 vaccination. We wouldn’t have been in a position to render these providers with out secure energy. In truth, vaccines used to get spoiled in our freezers,” she said.

Though Godiya Aboibarho joined the hospital barely two years ago as head of the immunisation unit, she could easily imagine how power failure would have blocked access to crucial routine health care for many people.

“I used to be not right here earlier than it was put in, however I used to be instructed how horrible issues had been. People come for vaccination each day, however we now have extra turnouts on market day. About 38 nursing moms introduced their kids for immunisation immediately, [September 27] whereas 25 pregnant girls got here for antenatal care.”

The new solar array has been transformative – but that doesn’t mean all of the health centre’s problems have been solved. “We have challenges in finishing up common immunisation outreach because of transportation logistics. We hope will probably be addressed quickly. It is just throughout particular campaigns that we’re mobilised and the final one was in July once we visited seven communities,” she explained.

Out of the dark

Oil-rich Nigeria is in an energy crisis. Ninety million people in the country – 45% of the population – don’t have access to grid electricity, making in the country with largest absolute energy deficit in the world.

Most of those 90 million people are in rural areas like Idon and its adjoining villages. Living in the dark is a hardship for every sphere – but health care is among the worst hit.

“In areas tormented by insufficient energy provide from the nationwide grid, well being care services – particularly in rural Kaduna – had been compelled to carry out important medical procedures by the dim gentle of candles, placing lives in danger,” Mohammed Shehu, the Chief Press Secretary to Kaduna State governor admitted, adding that the Kaduna Solar for Health Programme was established to solve the problem.

“The programme’s goal is to improve at the least one PHC [primary health care centre] in each ward with photo voltaic vitality to worldwide requirements, guaranteeing round the clock entry to high quality well being care inside 2km for each Kaduna resident. The Kaduna State Government has efficiently supplied 24-hour sustainable photo voltaic vitality options to well being centres and hospitals throughout the state, by way of collaborative efforts between the state’s well being and energy sectors in addition to help from growth companions, together with the United Kingdom Department for International Development and the European Union.

“The Kaduna Power Supply Company [KAPSCO] plays a pivotal role in implementing and sustaining the Kaduna Solar for Health Programme. KAPSCO’s commitment ensures the maintenance and sustainability of these solar power installations, which have already benefitted 100 communities, by installing about 2MW (2000KVA) of solar power in PHCs and general hospitals, greatly enhancing the health care environment,” he mentioned.

Shehu defined that the programme will unfurl in three phases. Phases 1 and a pair of had been accomplished in 2017 and 2020, empowering 34 PHCs with a mixed 1.7MW solar energy and 13 different hospitals – together with Idon Rural Hospital – with a complete of 0.8MW capability respectively.

“Phase 3 is underway, targeting 221 PHCs with 1.3MW, all maintained by KAPSCO. This has led to increased in-patient visits, improved security and the ability to perform critical medical operations, from blood storage to surgeries, even in remote areas.

“More pregnant girls at the moment are keen to come back for antenatal as a result of they’re certain of getting high quality service on time. Some years again, we needed to anticipate hours – both as a result of there was no gasoline to energy the generator or the generator was defective.”

– Stella Isuwa, mother

“State-funded well being care in Kaduna goals to supply equitable entry to high quality and inexpensive well being look after all residents. This consists of lowering maternal and toddler mortality charges. To deal with well being care challenges, the state authorities has recognised that dependable energy provide is important,” he added.

Locals share testimonies as more households embrace renewable energy

Mary Godwin had brought in her four-month-old son, Samuel, for the third dose of rotavirus vaccine, protective against a highly contagious diarrhoeal disease. She was among several visitors who were excited about the life-changing impact of the microgrid.

“I did not give beginning to my first little one right here, as a result of the service was poor then. That was 4 years in the past. There had been occasions I’d carry her for immunisation and they’d inform me some officers had gone to Kachia General Hospital, which is about 30km from right here, to carry vaccines. Many of us would ultimately depart, particularly if it was on a market day.

“The situation changed when the solar power started working. She was about one year old then. I’m happy she eventually got the vaccines she missed. I gave birth to her brother (Samuel) here without any challenge and he has been receiving his immunisation regularly.

“Now many households are utilizing small solar energy offered for 30,000 naira (about US$ 40) to gentle bulbs at evening and cost telephones. My husband can be planning to get one quickly,” she said.

Stella Isuwa, a food vendor from Idon Hanya said that, unlike during her first two pregnancies, she is enthusiastic to attend antenatal visits at the hospital this time around.

“The service has actually improved. They have run urine, blood, sugar, hepatitis, HIV and different checks for me. They attended to me inside an hour. More pregnant girls at the moment are keen to come back for antenatal as a result of they’re certain of getting high quality service on time. Some years again, we needed to anticipate hours – both as a result of there was no gasoline to energy the generator or the generator was defective,” Isuwa explained.

The immediate past district head of Idon, Bitruce Ahmadu, described the microgrid as a “recreation changer” for Idon Rural Hospital.

“There are over 20 villages round Idon with greater than 50,000 folks. We all rely on this hospital, although we now have dispensaries in villages. We actually suffered through the years the hospital was struggling because of energy failure. The solar energy has decreased referral drastically on the hospital, not like earlier than after they referred minor instances. Now, they solely refer when the case is just too advanced for them to deal with,” he said.

Ahmadu lamented that the ongoing outages faced in the region plunge homes into darkness for two to three days at a time, and when power is restored, it only lasts about six hours. He said the situation has led to an uptake in solar energy in the communities.

“We have complained a number of occasions, and the electrical energy distribution firm promised to do one thing about it. Perhaps we’ll interact them additional when a brand new district head comes on board. We have solar-powered streetlights, and extra households are utilizing photo voltaic vitality they will afford. I purchased mine for 250,000 naira [US$ 530 as of time of purchase in 2022] and paid in instalments over a 12 months. It can energy a tv set, a fan, two bulbs and cost telephones. Other individuals are utilizing smaller capacities that may cost telephones and light-weight two bulbs,” he explained.

“There are over 20 villages around Idon with more than 50,000 people. We all depend on this hospital, though we have dispensaries in villages. We really suffered during the years the hospital was struggling due to power failure.”

– Bitruce Ahmadu, former district head of Idon

A girl chief and former member of the Idon Rural Hospital committee, Felicia Dangiwa, said that the microgrid has introduced nice reduction to the communities which have been battling insecurity for years. She added the hospital closed at nightfall for worry of being attacked by bandits at evening because of blackout.

“Since three years ago when solar power has been working, it has been operating at night because its surroundings are always well lit. Though the health workers still entertain some fear, they feel secure to an extent,” she mentioned.