Health infrastructure in semi-urban and rural areas have not kept pace with the changes taking place around us and people are forced to do with poor quality services due to infrastructural issues. To address these challenges and to enable equitable development, Crypto Relief and SELCO Foundation are partnering with the Ministry of Health, Government of India (MoHFW), to empower public health facilities across five states with solar energy.

In the first phase sustainable solar energy solutions and efficient medical equipment will be integrated across 1278 healthcare facilities in 10 chosen districts within the states of Karnataka, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Odisha. The solar energy would be used to strengthen immunisation, maternal and child care, as well as basic diagnostics and critical care. Energy efficiency drive in these facilities will optimise the solar energy requirement and reduce energy consumption by 50-60%. The initiative will directly impact a population of more than 5.7 million that depend on the public health value chain across the 10 districts.

The program will be a collaboration between government agencies, health facilities and staff and Health sector NGOs to ensure better delivery of health care.

The Program is being funded by Crypto Relief, which was set up to provide healthcare and essentials to those fighting for survival against COVID-19. In the past 4 months, the fund has attracted more than USD 440 mn and is working closely with partner organizations NGOs, and hospitals in order to support the Government of India’s efforts in responding to the pandemic.

Sandeep Nailwal, founder of Crypto Relief says, “The team at Crypto Relief realises the potential that solar powering health centres enable a foundation to impact health indicators on the ground in these districts. This program will allow the Crypto Relief team to bring together a consortium of partners in these districts to plug gaps and holistically impact the health system through our district full-stack approach.”

Since the past 4 years, SELCO Foundation has implemented over 1000 sustainable energy-driven interventions for healthcare across the country. It has partnered with NGOs on the ground and local government officials including Panchayat Secretaries, District Commissioners and District Health Officers, who have been critical in championing these solutions, as well as ensuring their sustainability.

Harish Hande, CEO of SELCO Foundation, says “India through multiple initiatives like these is well on its way to become a beacon of climate innovation for the developing world.  The learnings emerging from this program will be critical to support more states and champions on their path towards India's renewable energy and healthcare for all ambitions.”

This partnership between the Government of India, Crypto Relief and SELCO Foundation seeks to create a scalable model for health facilities to become more resilient and strongly equipped to meet the needs of the poorest communities in the most vulnerable parts of the country. It aims to meet the country’s emerging focus to drive development in a manner that is equitable, sustainable and reduces the pressure on the planet.