Lesotho

Summary

Eager to replicate the successful health care model implemented in Rwanda, in 2007 Partners In Health (PIH) launched an initiative to provide modern medical care to the people of Lesotho. Because of the remoteness of the region, the danger of transporting fuel and the need for a clean and sustainable supply of electricity, PIH has again partnered with SELF to bring solar power to a network of ten community health clinics. SELF is utilizing our successful hybrid solar PV/diesel generator system which will provide 90% or more of the power needed using only the sun. Diesel generators are available as a back-up during prolonged heavy usage or in periods of rain.

Background

Lesotho – a small, mountainous nation of 2 million people located entirely within the borders of South Africa – suffers from the third highest rate of HIV infection and the fourth highest rate of Tuberculosis (TB) in the world. A staggering 1 in 4 adults is HIV-positive and life expectancy has plummeted to less than 35 years. Ninety percent of the population lives outside the capital with limited or no access to even the most basic health care services.

Objectives

At the request of Dr. Paul Farmer, SELF once again joined forces with PIH to bring the benefits of solar electricity to PIH’s health clinics in Lesotho, completing the solar electrification of the first 4 clinics in March 2008. In April 2010 SELF returned to install the remaining systems and upgrade the first installations. With the new systems online, PIH will have the electrical energy necessary to power medical equipment, diagnose and treat HIV and TB patients and provide critical lighting. Solar panels will also power the VSAT satellite which provides communications/IT connectivity and permits staff members to transmit vital emergency medical records from their database for tracking HIV/AIDS treatment.

Critical to defeating TB in Lesotho is enough electricity at each clinic to allow staff to operate an x-ray machine. Chest x-rays are necessary to successfully diagnose TB in patients who are HIV-positive. This additional capacity provides a huge life-saving benefit, as prior to the solar power installations, doctors had to send patients to the district hospital — usually several hours away — for a chest x-ray. This involved paying for transport, paying for the x-ray and requiring that the patient return again to the clinic to see the doctor with the results of the x-ray. Because patients often live many hours walk from the clinic this took a lot of time and money, and also increased danger of the patient transmitting TB to other people during transport, at the hospital, etc.

Solution

The solar/diesel hybrid systems installed in PIH’s clinics in Lesotho have proven to be successful in providing the vital energy needed to operate a functional clinic with a sustainable source of electricity to power electric lights, refrigeration for vaccines and anti-venom serum, and medical devices such as x-ray machines.

Now that Phase I and Phase II of SELF's work in Lesotho have been completed and the solar electric systems are in place, critical training and new energy management staff will ensure the batteries are properly monitored and allowed to recharge as needed. And thanks to the generosity of our supporters, patients and PIH staff members can look forward to a steady supply of clean, renewable electricity to meet their needs for many years to come.

Future Needs

SELF's solar installations are making a dramatic impact on the health and quality of life for the people of Lesotho. The work of our Solar Health Care Partnership with PIH continues in Haiti and will soon move on to Malawi. The immediate next step is to complete the solar electric installations at the remaining PIH clinics in Haiti, ensuring a stable health care system despite the disruptions caused by the recent earthquake in Port au Prince. By providing quality maternal and pediatric care to villagers in the remote mountain highlands of Haiti, as well as HIV/AIDS and TB diagnosis and treatment, PIH and SELF can help Haitian families rebuild their lives and look forward to a brighter future.

Please help us continue to empower people in the developing world and bring hope to them and their children.

For additional project details contact info@self.org.