2024 Northern Kachin Hospital Installation
In 2024, we launched our Amplify Healthcare Program, and in May of 2024, we made our first installation at a hospital in Northern Kachin State. The hospital has been providing critical healthcare for the local community since 1961.
Spanning across 12 buildings, the hospital offers out-patient and in-patient services along with a 50 bed patients ward. Many of the hospital’s critical equipment run on electricity, such as :
Oxygen concentrator machines : They rely on oxygen concentrator machines due to unreliable oxygen supply delivery.
Vaccine refrigerators : Only 3 out of the 10 available refrigerators can be powered due to the cost of energy.
Air conditioners and fans : The hospital must ration fuel and sacrifice the comfort of patients.
Night-time lighting : The hospital buildings and grounds can be unsafe to walk around at night in the dark.
They only get 9-12 hours of grid electricity per week, so the hospital relies on generators.
And with the fuel shortage, running generators has become cost prohibitive.
It's gotten to a point where the patients and staff are paying out of pocket to run the generators.
Immediate impact of our microgrid
Financial
With the installation of our microgrid, the generator is now serving as a backup source instead of the main source. We've eliminated the financial burden for the staff and patient regarding the cost of fuel.
Comfort
Our system has also greatly improved the quality of patient comfort during their hospital stay. They can keep the lights on at night and charge their electronic devices. Our system also enables them to run fans and air conditioners as the summer heat creeps in.
Quality of services
They no longer need to run the generator for ECG or other diagnostic tools. Their vaccine refrigerators are now powered on 24/7. And they can run their oxygen concentrators as needed without worrying.
We didn't solve all the problems the hospital was facing. But we are proud to have contributed, in our own capacity, to improving quality and access of healthcare to the community.
More than energy access, we’re bringing hope to the community.
"In the future, I envision access to cutting-edge equipment like surgical anesthesia machines, X-ray technology, immunoassay labs and electronic medical record systems (EMR) [at our hospital]. This will make it a one-stop shop healthcare services for local people, eliminate the need to travel long distances for specialized care."
- Chief Physician at the Hospital
We accomplished this project without any big funders! 60% of the budget was raised through our 2023 crowdsourcing campaign, and the remaining 40% through donations from local community members. This project truly was a community driven effort.