Four primary health centres (PHCs) in the erstwhile undivided Dakshina Kannada are now among the 160 PHCs in the State connected with solar power to meet the energy needs of the government health facilities, according to Guruprakash Shetty, Deputy General Manager, SELCO Solar Light Pvt. Ltd.
Addressing presspersons here on Friday, he said the PHCs at Tingalady and Neriya in Dakshina Kannada and at Hallihole in Udupi district had been provided with solar energy connectivity. The installation of each of the 5-kW capacity solar units has cost ₹4.5 lakh.
In addition, the PHCs at Kollamogaru, Eshwaramangala, and at Padmunja in Dakshina Kannada would be linked with solar power by this month-end.
Mr. Shetty said energy need of a PHC is vital for its operation. Hence SELCO has so far powered more than 1,520 government healthcare facilities across the country. Their capacity varied from 2 kW to 5 kW. Medical equipment cannot be operated unless their energy need is met.
“The healthcare services cannot be delivered effectively unless the health facilities are provided with uninterrupted energy supply. The task is not over just by ensuring required medical equipment. There should be power to operate them,” he said.
Mr. Shetty said SELCO, in association with the Association of People with Disability (APD) and Seva Bharati, a non-governmental organisation, recently arranged solar-powered beds to two persons having spinal cord injury in Belthangady. The government says that 10 in 10,000 people in the country suffer from spinal cord injury. But the APD has handled over 3,000 such cases in Karnataka alone that too in four districts.
Some more solar-powered beds would be given in Kundapur, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru, Puttur, and Sullia in a few days, he said.
