Powering Primary Healthcare through Solar in India: Lessons from Chhattisgarh

This paper focuses on a study carried out to evaluate the impact of solar PV installations on improving access to electricity at primary health centers (PHCs) and thereby improving health service delivery in Chhattisgarh, India. The evaluation was intended to: (1) understand the synergy between electricity access and delivery of healthcare services, (2) evaluate the impact of installed solar PV systems on addressing gaps in access to electricity and (3i) assess the gaps in the transition to higher standards of primary healthcare. The synergy between access to electricity and delivery of healthcare services was explored by classifying the PHCs into two sub-groups: (1) power-deficit PHCs, which were defined as PHCs with regular power supply of 20 hours or less a day and (2) non-power-deficit PHCs, which were defined as PHCs with regular power supply of more than 20 hours a day. The report’s findings relate to unmet capacity, effects on care provision, effects on cold chain and newborn care, and the transition to higher standards of care.