Decision Support Tool for Selecting Supplemental Energy Technologies for Healthcare Facilities in a Developing Country

Abstract

Many Nigerian healthcare facilities do not have consistent access to electricity, which is required for many modern-day healthcare services and operations. The energy needs for such healthcare facilities can be supported by supplemental energy technologies to increase the reliability of electric power. These additions can include green or traditional technologies and would be established within any facility's preexisting electricity infrastructure. In this project, we developed a decision support tool that provides a list of candidate healthcare facilities to fund for supplemental energy generation in Nigeria, based on the effectiveness of implementing reliable energy technologies. The selection of energy technologies is unique to the region and type of facility. The combination of location-specific factors provides a recommendation for the most reliable energy technology. The decision support tool is designed to be used by health policy decision makers and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to prioritize funding efforts that are in the best interest of the population, as well as the environment, in developing countries where infrastructure development projects would provide the greatest impact. The tool recommends the optimal energy generation technology for each region, prioritizes the facilities based on access and coverage parameters, and then takes into account budget and planning constraints. The project aims to encourage developing countries, starting with Nigeria, to reevaluate their energy infrastructure needs in relation to health facilities.