The Chhattisgarh government has betted big on… Leave a comment
The Chhattisgarh government has betted big on non-conventional energy sources to ramp up its healthcare system— especially in the rural areas. The government has since 2010 set up solar panels in 1,400 government health centers and hospitals.
Non-availability of electricity or low voltage affecting refrigeration and storage of critical vaccine is no more an issue for all these health centres that get 24×7 electricity supply.
The chief engineer of Chhattisgarh State Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA), Sanjeev Jain, told TOI that there are around 790 functioning primary health centers in the state and many of them face regular power outages at peak patient arrivals. To fix the issue, all these health centers are now being electrified through solar energy, he said.
The need to store and refrigerate life savings drugs came into focus during the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.
Solar power plants have been installed in all the sub-health centres of the state, he said. Likewise, CREDA has installed 6.7 MW of solar generation in schools, government buildings, tribal hostels, forest rest houses, and households as well as solar PV for agriculture, drinking water, and cold storage and steps have been taken for effective operation and regular maintenance.
He said, under the National Health Mission, a total of 1,432 government health centers and hospitals now have solar power plants across the state with a total capacity of 457 MW. It generates 66,72,200 kWh of electricity per year.
CREDA received the ‘ASHDEN International Award 2018’ for Sustainable Energy and Health Innovation at a ceremony held in London on June 14, 2018. The ASHDEN Awards are given to Sustainable energy pioneers and are a globally recognized measure of excellence.
News Summary:
- To improve public health, Cg uses solar energy
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