* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
With the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in full swing, there has never been a more important time to look at how environmental solutions can go hand in hand with efforts to improve the health of the poor.
The conference in Rio de Janeiro from June 20-22 aims to assess progress since the first Rio Conference 20 years ago and to put forward sustainable development solutions. Initially health was left off the agenda, despite being inextricably linked to the three dimensions of sustainability – environment, economy and social relations. But after lobbying from the World Health Organisation and other health advocacy organisations, health is being included in the conference discussions after all.
The relationship between climate change and poverty will be a major focus of the conference. At the same time, a key aspect of making health services sustainable and inclusive is strengthening communities to support and maintain their own health facilities. Health Poverty Action’s work in East Africa has begun to make these connections. In Somaliland, a region where health systems are poor and mortality rates are high, we have been involved in efforts towards sustainability.
We recently installed the largest solar panel electrical system in the Sahil region of Somaliland, at the capital’s main hospital, Berbera Hospital. Using renewable energy to improve health facilities and services in developing countries can significantly improve the care that people receive.
Using fossil fuels for electrical power in Somaliland can be both expensive and unreliable. Introducing the solar panels can not only save money for the hospital in the long run but also prevent frequent power cuts and allow the facility to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
By providing these solar panels the benefits are not only in reducing the carbon footprint of hospitals and health facilities – one of the largest emitters in the public sector – but health services can be substantially improved, provided at a lower cost, and operated reliably.
With one of the seven themes for the Rio conference being ‘Energy’, the UN is keen to highlight the substantial role that sustainable energy will play in preventing economic, environmental and social degradation. Our efforts to improve health services in Somaliland demonstrate, on a small scale, just how these sustainable solutions can be achieved.
