Healthcare has become one of India’s largest sector. The Indian Healthcare industry both in urban and rural areas is growing swiftly due to its strengthening coverage, services and increasing expenditure by private and public players. In India, only 31.14% of the total population lives in urban areas and remaining 68.86% of the country’s population lives in rural area. However, 75% of the healthcare infrastructure is concentrated in urban areas leaving rural areas lacking proper healthcare facility.
Healthcare infrastructure is well-developed in an urban area and has conventionally focused on the availability of tangible physical spaces, furniture, and equipment essential for the delivery of healthcare services. Along with the building and equipment, availability of utility services such as electricity and water is imperative for the functioning of a health facility and is an important determinant of the effective delivery of essential health services. The relationship between health and energy is compelling. The healthcare industry remains entirely dependent upon the electric power, from the simple life monitoring system to complex diagnostic imaging units, everything in the hospital requires a constant stream of the high-quality electricity for the complex medical equipment’s. Health care centers in the urban area spend an exorbitant amount of money to design and develop a sustainable system of power supply. However, Rural Healthcare communities struggle to maintain access to quality health services and electricity.
Ensuring reliable and equitable access to electricity, however, remains a compelling challenge in different parts of India especially in rural areas. Distribution of energy by conventional means has failed to be reliable or affordable in meeting the modest needs of rural health clinics. Supplies of gas and kerosene are often costly and unreliable. These fuels provide poor quality light. Gasoline and diesel fuels can power generators for electrical service, but these generators are often nonfunctional, always expensive, and usually reserved for emergencies when available. Without electricity supply, these health centers have limited utility in helping villages during emergencies, especially at night and under unfavorable conditions
Located several hours away from the nearest cities, rural healthcare centers are often excluded from the solar markets. Given the remoteness of rural areas and little information on the potential electricity demand there, solar vendors also have limited interest in venturing into such areas. To overcome the challenge and improve the electricity scenario in rural area healthcare centers, solar vendors in association with local panchayats or government bodies need to ensure that rural communities and healthcare centers can access solar energy providers. Installation of Solar Panels in rural healthcare centers will not only provide the uninterrupted supply of the electricity but also reliable water supply, safe refrigeration for vaccines, and powered theatre equipment, baby heaters, fans, etc.
To install the solar rooftops in the rural healthcare centre, they can approach State departments working in areas, such as Health, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj etc. Rural healthcare centers can contact the Health Ministry at the state and central levels to get support for the Health centre solar electrification program. The use of renewable energy sources such as solar could help healthcare centres in rural areas or even substitute traditional grid-based power system. Solar System can facilitate reliable and uninterrupted electricity supply critical for 24/7 emergency services, deliveries, and neonatal care as well as inpatient and outpatient services.