How clean energy and healthcare are linked

In a delivery room in rural Uganda last month, I saw the human cost of a global health crisis. The clinic, like three quarters of clinics in sub-Saharan Africa, did not have reliable power. Despite the problems this brings, I saw skilled staff help a host of women give birth, an amazing stream of new lives and proud parents.

But, tragically, on the day of my visit, one mother passed away, leaving her newborn and another child behind. We can’t know if the healthcare centre having reliable power would have saved her life. But if the hospital had light at night she would have been encouraged to arrive there earlier. And if staff could have charged their phones, they would have found it easier to get help when problems arose. These things would, at the very least, have given her a better chance.