WE CARE Solar
Women’s Emergency Communication and Reliable Electricity
Solar powered blood bank at Kofan Gayan Municipal Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria. Photo Credit: Laura Stachel
Maternal mortality worldwide accounts for more than 530,000 deaths a year; 99 percent of these occur in underdeveloped countries. Maternal mortality rates in Nigeria are among the highest in the world, with a ratio of 1100 maternal deaths occurring for every 100,000 live. Rural women in Northern Nigeria, most of whom do not receive prenatal care and deliver at home, are estimated to have maternal mortality ratios three fold higher than national ratios.
In response, the Blum Center has teamed with UC Berkeley researchers to employ renewable energy technology to improve obstetric care in Nigeria. WE CARE, which stands for Women’s Emergency Communication and Reliable Electricity, is focused on designing and installing a photovoltaic energy system retrofit to power lighting, medical equipment and communication equipment in a major municipal hospital in Northern Nigeria.
Operating theatre with solar powered LED lights. Photo Credit: Laura StachelThis “proof of concept” system will power (1) overhead surgical lighting in areas of critical need such as the operating room and labor and delivery, (2) mobile telecommunications between hospital staff and on-call physicians, and (3) existing on-site medical equipment that is currently underutilized. The designed system will be robust, durable, and nearly maintenance-free, with the goal of being easily installed in existing hospitals and clinics, all of which have unreliable/problematic power systems. It is anticipated that improved surgical lighting, enhanced usage of existing medical equipment, and the establishment of a sustainable telecommunication system will reduce delays and complications in providing emergency obstetric care.
Lead Researcher: Laura E. Stachel, MD, MPH, DrPH candidate, School of Public Health
Field Location: Nigeria
Partners: The Population and Reproductive Health Partnership (PRHP); Kofan Gayan Hospital, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria; Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Nigeria; De Novo Group, Berkeley, CA; Solar Schoolhouse
Webcast: Achieving Safer Motherhood with Solar Powered Light and Communication
September 23, 2009
We always celebrate Mother’s Day with flowers. I wish we would do more to mark the occasion in ways that would reduce the number of women who die in the process of becoming mothers. So I commend Dr. Stachel, and I hope we get more creative thinking about how to reduce maternal mortality.
-Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times
