In October 2024, RES travelers installed solar at Kathmandu Institute of Child Health (KIOCH) a non-profit children’s hospital in Nepal founded by Dr. Bhagwan Koirala, a well-known cardiologist in Nepal. KIOCH aims to deliver integrated multispecialty high-quality child healthcare that is affordable, accessible, and available to all, thus advancing the quality of life for children in Nepal. KIOCH is building a satellite hospital in each of Nepal’s seven provinces to reach more remote communities and make children’s healthcare accessible to everyone. KIOCH offers healthcare, free of cost, to all children.
The first satellite children’s hospital was built in the Jhapa district in southeastern Nepal called KIOCH-Damak. More than 2 million people live in the province where the hospital is located, including 800,000 children. KIOCH-Damak has six emergency beds, 5 NICUs, 6 PICUs, 26 IPD general beds, 7 cabin beds, one operating room, and 5 OPD clinics. The national electric grid in Jhapa is unreliable, so a backup system is essential to save lives by preventing vital equipment from shutting down.
GRID is working with the help of RES to bring KIOCH a 31.68kW grid-tied solar electric system with lithium-ion battery backup for emergency loads. This will provide significant monthly cost savings by lowering the hospital’s electric bill and providing critical backup power during power outages. KIOCH has committed 25% of the funding needed and GRID is contributing the remainder. This is a high-visibility pilot project that would showcase a commitment to equitable access to clean energy and adequate healthcare.
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