Introduction: The Right to Quality Healthcare
As a project coordinator for Kids Operating Room, I've always been driven by the belief that access to quality healthcare is a fundamental human right. Yet, in many parts of the world, including refugee camps like Kakuma in Kenya, this right remains elusive.
Challenges in Refugee Camps
Access to healthcare in refugee camps has numerous challenges, reflecting the complex intersection of humanitarian crises, resource limitations, and structural barriers. In these densely populated and often remote settings, refugees face significant obstacles in accessing essential medical services, including long distances to healthcare facilities, inadequate infrastructure, and limited availability of trained healthcare professionals.
A Milestone: The World’s First
In 2020 Kids Operating Room opened the world’s first pediatric operating room in a refugee camp at Kakuma. Kakuma is the largest refugee camp in Northern Kenya and is home to over 200,000 refugees – 61% of the population is below the age of 18. Despite this infrastructure, the local reality of power outages means that multiple times a week the power goes out. When this happens during an operation the results can be catastrophic.
Innovation in Action: The Solar Surgery System
Born out of our experience as a non-profit developing surgical systems across more than 40 countries, we designed a solution specifically to address electrical instability in the operating room and have installed our Solar Surgery system in over ten countries in more than twenty hospitals including recently at the Kakuma Refugee Camp. This video provides an overview of this incredible installation and its impact!
The significance of providing solar power to operating room equipment cannot be overstated. In resource-constrained settings like Kakuma, where power outages are frequent and diesel generators are unreliable, solar energy offers a sustainable and dependable solution. By harnessing the sun's energy, we are able to ensure uninterrupted power supply to essential surgical equipment, including anesthesia machines, lights, and monitors, thereby safeguarding the lives of patients and enhancing the efficiency of surgical procedures.
But beyond the technical aspects, the impact of solar-powered surgery systems on the population of Kakuma was profound and far-reaching.
Transformative Impact on the Kakuma Community
Our host, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), who have been supporting Ammusait General Hospital could not hide their joy with this potentially lifesaving Solar Surgery System. They told us how the area is lacking in supply of national grid power and hence have to rely on diesel generators, which is becoming increasingly expensive for the facility - one of the biggest referral healthcare facilities in the region. Most of the refugees do not have access to national health insurance and hence receive free care; this does not help with the management of the facility’s current financial situation and its long-term sustainability.
Approximately 472 kilometers from Juba, South-Sudan, Kakuma experiences very high temperatures and it was not a surprise that on the first day we were not able to proceed with mounting of the panels beyond 11a.m, and this meant that we had to stay at the site longer and leverage on the cooler morning hours and late evenings until the system was fully set-up and commissioned.
Community Engagement and Reactions
On our walk around the facility, we encountered many curious onlookers, both patients and staff, wondering what we were doing, and that triggered very interesting conversations around our mission to Kakuma. It was an uplifting moment for everyone, as they learnt we were installing solar panels on the rooftop and this would address power outages in the facility. The staff from the other departments urged us to consider coming back to support them in installing solar around the other departments, and particularly at the Outpatient Department, where the staff mentioned that they needed a power backup as this was a critical department where patient data is managed through an Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system, and that would determine the overall quality of patient care through proper management of patient medical records.
The impact of the system was even more clear as we walked inside the children's surgical and medical wards. One guardian, whose young child had recently undergone surgery, recounted a power blackout on the previous nights. They described how dangerous it was, with people moving around the dark ward, unable to see each other, risking trips and further complications. Soberly, they also mentioned that some of the patients from the ward still needed oxygen support and they dreaded a situation where the hospital did not have a generator in place to kick-in. They expressed deep gratitude for the first steps that the hospital and Global Hospital had taken and urged us not to stop at the children's operating theater, but to do everything possible to expand within other departments. Additionally, they also asked about the possibility of educating the community at large about the cost of purchasing solar panels and the supporting accessories and the benefits they would accrue from considering the installation of solar power in their homes and businesses, and the community at large.
Conclusion: A Step Towards Equal Access and Sustainability
On a broader scale, there is potential for socio-economic transformation in this region should the government and non-governmental organizations synergize in offering cost-effective, reliable solutions that the community could utilize in running small scale businesses that eventually generate wealth and lead to self-sustenance. Our Solar Surgery system is one piece in a complex puzzle that highlights the simple strategies that we could deploy to achieve human independence and empowerment using the natural resources around us.
As I witnessed the transformative impact of solar-powered surgery firsthand, I was reminded of the profound connection between access to healthcare and the broader socio-economic development of communities. By investing in sustainable healthcare solutions, we not only save lives but also lay the foundation for a more equitable and prosperous future.
The success of the Solar Surgery system in Kakuma serves as a beacon of hope for other marginalized communities around the world. It exemplifies the power of innovation, collaboration, and compassion in overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges. It is a testament to what is possible when we harness the boundless energy of the sun to illuminate the path towards a healthier, more inclusive world for all.
In conclusion, providing solar power to operating room equipment in refugee camps like Kakuma is not merely a technical feat; it is a humanitarian imperative. It represents a tangible step towards realizing the vision of universal healthcare and ensuring that no one is left behind. As biomedical engineers, healthcare professionals, and global citizens, let us continue to harness the power of solar energy to illuminate hope and transform lives, one community at a time.
