By Alfred Kollie, alredkolliejr92@gmail.com
An international health charity, We Care Solar have trained a total of 44 installers or engineers from both government and NGO program staff in Liberia, with the skills to install, maintain and teach health workers on how to operate the solar suitcases.
“Installers have trained over 2,200 health workers on use and basic maintenance of the solar suitcases and appliances,’’ an official of the group explained.
Speaking at a ceremony in Monrovia recently, the African Regional Director of We Care Solar Dr. Ambrose Katungi Muhwezi said, We Care Solar is a medical entity that was established to provide electricity to health institutions during the time of child birth through Solar system.
We Care Solar in collaboration with the Ministry of Health recently a one-day symposium aimed at powering medical facilities in Liberia.
Based in California, USA, We care Solar is dedicated to improving maternal health care in health facilities through access to renewable energy.
Dr. Muhwezi said We Care suitcases are designed to be safe, robust and efficient by powering critical obstetric lighting, mobile phones and fetal heart rate monitors, health workers are equipped with ”the power to save life”.
According to Dr. Muhwezi , We Care Solar is demonstrating the feasibility and impact of lighting every birth at the national level by spearheading countrywide programs in selected country.
He said the light every birth initiative offers every woman in a country the opportunity to give birth in a skilled public health facility with power and light.
“Light every birth is aims to ensure that reliable lighting is available for every government facility birth, working with government Ministries, International NGOs, and UN Agencies to enact this commitment,’’ he said.
We Care Solar successfully launched the Light Every Birth on March 9, 2017 attended by speakers from the Ministry of Health, program partners, the World Bank, UNFPA, the US Ambassador, and former Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai.
The conference was graced by civil society organizations, international organizations, including some prominent citizens of Liberia under the theme: “Light Every Birth Initiative”.
Since 2010, We Care Solar has designed technology and developed programs to bring compact rugged solar electric system, solar suitcases to under resourced centers.
To date, more than 3, 800 health centers globally have been equipped with the technology.
Solar Suitcases replace candles and kerosene lanterns with bright, efficient LED light, and provide electricity for phone charging, fetal monitoring and small medical devices, enabling health workers to provide life-saving care.
In remarks, Liberia’s Health Minister Dr. Willimina Jallah said lack of adequate power supply is an age old problem that needs to be tackled by every Liberians, if the sector must experience change.
Dr. Jallah described, as appalling the challenges faced by many health facilities in the country, terming the situation as life threatening for women, especially during the time of child birth.
The Liberian Health Minister noted that if the issue of electricity must be handled by the CDC-Led government, the country will experienced rapid decline in the death rate during child birth.
Dr, Willimina Jallah also used the occasion to encourage International partners to continue their assistance to Liberia in order to help improved the health sector of the country.
She at the same time called on health workers including midwives to maintain and sustain the solar suitcases with proper care.
In remarks, We Care Solar Program Officer Felecia Jugbe said her institution have installed four and thirty –five (435) solar suitcases in four hundred and thirty health facilities across the fifteen (15) counties of Liberia.
According to Madam Jugbe Lofa County has the highest installation of 59 suitcases follow by Nimba 53, Margibi 41, Sinoe 35, and Bong 31.
Other Counties are Montserrado 30, Cape Mount 28, Grand Bssa 24, Maryland 23, Grand Kru 22, Grand Gedeh 22, River Cess 17 River Gee 18 and Gbarpolu 15 Suitcases respectively.