The Water Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) Gillings School of Public Health, 4114 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, CB#7431, USA, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA.
The Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at UNC Gillings School of Public Health, 135 Dauer Drive, 166 Rosenau Hall, CB #7431, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Health Policy Plan. 2020 Mar 1;35(2):142-152. doi: 10.1093/heapol/czz118.
Many healthcare facilities (HCFs) in low-income countries experience unreliable connectivity to energy sources, which adversely impacts the quality of health service delivery and provision of adequate environmental health services. This assessment explores the status and consequences of energy access through interviews and surveys with administrators and healthcare workers from 44 HCFs (central hospitals, district hospitals, health centres and health posts) in Malawi. Most HCFs are connected to the electrical grid but experience weekly power interruptions averaging 10 h; less than one-third of facilities have a functional back-up source. Inadequate energy availability is associated with irregular water supply and poor medical equipment sterilization; it adversely affects provider safety and contributes to poor lighting and working conditions. Some challenges, such as poor availability and maintenance of back-up energy sources, disproportionately affect smaller HCFs. Policymakers, health system actors and third-party organizations seeking to improve energy access and quality of care in Malawi and similar settings should address these challenges in a way that prioritizes the specific needs of different facility types.
许多低收入国家的医疗保健机构（HCFs）面临能源供应不稳定的问题，这对医疗服务质量和提供充足的环境卫生服务产生了不利影响。本评估通过对马拉维 44 个 HCFs（中心医院、地区医院、保健中心和卫生所）的管理人员和医疗工作者进行访谈和调查，探讨了能源接入的现状和后果。大多数 HCFs 都与电网相连，但每周平均停电 10 小时；不到三分之一的设施有功能正常的备用电源。能源供应不足与供水不稳定和医疗设备消毒不良有关；这对医护人员的安全产生不利影响，并导致照明和工作条件不佳。一些挑战，如备用能源供应的可用性和维护不佳，对较小的 HCFs 影响更大。政策制定者、卫生系统参与者和第三方组织如果希望改善马拉维和类似环境中的能源供应和医疗质量，应优先考虑不同类型设施的具体需求，解决这些挑战。
