From Darkness to Light: Transforming Primary Healthcare in Nagaland with The Mule

The climate change crisis faced by the planet impacts both the poor and the rich in the world, irrespective of their geographical locations. Considering the increasingly unprecedented impacts of climate change, the primary goal of the signatories of the Paris Agreement is to limit the global mean temperature rise to 1.50C; and to halt or slow the GHG (Greenhouse Gases) emissions. Unfortunately, the pledges by governments to date, fall short of what is required to restrict global mean temperature rise by 1.50C. Therefore, countries need to both enhance their commitments and walk the talk, with urgency. 

India has acted proactively and often led the charge on climate change. This is significant especially considering country’s per capita contribution to carbon dioxide emissions, which has historically and continues to be considerably lower than the world average. Having almost achieved the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) commitments made at COP21, India indicated to significantly enhanced commitments at the recently concluded COP26. The mitigation related NDCs that were updated are (i) 50 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030, and (ii) by 2030, India will reduce the Emissions Intensity of its GDP by 45 percent by 2030, from 2005 level. These enhanced NDCs are but a step towards the long-term goal of achieving Net Zero Emissions by 2070.

Nagaland, like many other states in India, faces a range of challenges in the electricity sector. But a main problem in this state is its hilly terrain, which makes it challenging to install reliable power transmission infrastructure. This difficulty in setting up transmission lines means that many rural areas of the state still lack access to electricity. Nagaland’s power supply is unreliable, with frequent power cuts and voltage fluctuations. These outages affect the functioning of critical infrastructure, including hospitals, health and wellness centres spread across the state. The lack of access to reliable electricity is a significant impediment to delivering quality healthcare services. 

Sunmeister Energy’s Mule installed in partnership with UNDP and the Government of Nagaland at 25 Primary Health Care centres across nine districts now provides reliable electricity to these centres, which often face power cuts or do not have access to electricity at all. The Mule has been developed as a response to problems on ground and has been customised to cater to the requirement of every PHC, including providing power for labs, neonatal units, vaccine storage systems, labour OTs and other essential medical services. 

The system includes an inverter, battery and solar panels and has been supplying critical and off-grid power to the health care centres since installation. 

The Mule also has remote monitoring capabilities and staff at the PHCs have been monitoring power consumption of their centres through an app. 

Team Sunmeister Energy also provided training to the healthcare staff for easy maintenance of this new infrastructure. 

Impact

1. Timely healthcare intervention for safe deliveries, emergencies, and other medical requirements. 

   

   
   

2. Improved working conditions and increased convenience for staff in the health facilities. 

   

   
   

3. Reliable power supply to plan and conduct surgeries and medical tests. 

   

   
   

4. Trust built among communities on the efficiency of the Primary health Care Centre. 

   The Mule is versatile and independent in that it does not require any connection with grid. It is a safe, user-friendly solution that comes with remote monitoring capabilities. While we have powered up health care centres and critical medical equipment at Nagaland through the Mule, its functions are diverse and can be customised to suit any kind of power requirement. 
   
   Learn more about the Mule at https://sunmeister.in/mule