Supply and Installation of Solar Power System, Kirakira Hospital, Makira-Ulawa Province, Solomon Islands

BACKGROUND

Healthcare facilities serve as critical infrastructure in delivering essential health services and are highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. In Solomon Islands, health facilities face challenges including unreliable energy supply, aging infrastructure, and climate-related hazards such as cyclones, flooding, and sea-level rise.

Kirakira Hospital is the primary referral facility for Makira-Ulawa Province, serving an estimated population of approximately 51,587 people. It provides inpatient, outpatient, maternity, emergency, laboratory, pharmacy, and dental services.

A Climate Resilient and Environmentally Sustainable Health Care Facilities (CRESHCF+) assessment conducted under the GEF Climate-Health Programme identified high energy vulnerability at the facility due to reliance on unstable grid power and limited generator capacity. Power disruptions affect critical services including cold chain systems, oxygen supply, laboratory operations, and communications.

To address these challenges, WHO in collaboration with MHMS seeks to strengthen climate resilience through solarization of the facility.