‘There is no darkness now’: Solar power helps India’s health centres bridge infrastructure gap
Dr Gnaneshwar no longer thinks twice about flipping on light switches, using the computer or getting print outs at the Yelheri primary health centre in Karnataka’s Yadgir district.
Up until 2022, the primary health centre at which Gnaneshwar is the medical officer had only erratic electricity supply. It had to rely on a power back-up system that would run out in hours. Power cuts meant performing operations by torch or candlelight, baby warmers not working smoothly and no proper cooling for medicines or vaccines.
That changed three-and-a-half years ago. The installation of a solar energy system brought continuous power supply to the health centre – and immense relief. In addition, the staff living nearby do not have to sweat it out, particularly at night.
“Now the laboratory and the storage facilities run seamlessly and even patients are happier,” said Gnaneshwar. “There is no darkness now.”
The problems that the Yelheri centre dealt with before solar power are still faced by most primary health centres across India. Some of them are even in need of basics such as water supply.
Yelheri is one of the 2,500 Karnataka government health facilities to be powered by solar energy, said Huda Jaffer, director of the SELCO Foundation, a social enterprise based in Bengaluru.
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