Reliable Energy, Better Care: 364 Health Facilities Boost HIV Service Delivery Through Afya Hatua Project
Reliable electricity is fundamental to the delivery of uninterrupted, high-quality HIV care and treatment services. Health facilities without stable power supplies often experience service disruptions that affect biometric registration, clinical data entry, access to electronic medical records, and laboratory operations.
Such disruptions delay treatment initiation, compromise documentation, and weaken follow-up for clients living with HIV. Unreliable power also affects the storage of essential commodities such as HIV test kits and other temperature-sensitive supplies, limits timely viral load monitoring, and reduces healthcare worker efficiency when providers are forced to revert to manual systems. Over time, these interruptions undermine data accuracy and reporting timeliness, weakening decision-making at facility, district, and regional levels.
Kigadye Dispensary, located in the rural ward of Herushingo in Kasulu District, Kigoma Region, serves 259 recipients of care and faced these challenges for years due to limited access to electricity. The absence of reliable power constrained the facility’s ability to conduct biometric registration and effectively manage electronic client data.
According to Nicholas Ndaliphanye, the facility’s Data Officer, Kigadye previously relied on a small solar system that could only support operations for about four hours a day. “This led to delays and incomplete tasks, often leaving clients without proper documentation,” he said.
Through the PEPFAR/CDC-funded Afya Hatua Project, Tanzania Health Promotion Support (THPS) installed a robust solar power system capable of supporting continuous operations. As a result, more than 99 percent of clients at Kigadye Dispensary are now registered using biometric systems, and service data are uploaded into national reporting platforms in real time—significantly improving efficiency, accountability, and continuity of care.
While Kigadye Dispensary illustrates the facility-level impact of reliable energy, its experience reflects a broader, coordinated intervention implemented across all 364 Afya Hatua–supported health facilities. Through the installation of solar power and backup energy systems, facilities across Kigoma, Pwani, Shinyanga, and Tanga regions have strengthened biometric registration, electronic medical record use, laboratory functionality, and real-time reporting—ensuring consistent, high-quality HIV service delivery regardless of location or power reliability.
Dr. Daniel Singolile, Medical Officer in-Charge at Nindo Health Centre in Shinyanga Region, said his facility is among those benefiting from the project’s alternative clean energy solutions.
“The power backup system ensures uninterrupted biometric registration and real-time data capture, which are critical for accurately tracking clients, preventing loss to follow-up, and ensuring that no client is missed,” he said.
Before the installation, Nindo Health Centre frequently experienced power outages that disrupted services, forcing clinicians to delay biometric registration, rely on manual records, and postpone laboratory-related processes. These interruptions slowed patient flow, increased the risk of data gaps, and limited timely clinical decision-making. Since the installation, the facility has transitioned to uninterrupted electronic service delivery, with consistent access to client records, real-time data entry, and improved continuity of HIV care. Healthcare workers can now manage appointments more efficiently, promptly review viral load results, and initiate or adjust treatment without delay—creating a more reliable, efficient, and patient-centered service environment.
By strengthening facility resilience—particularly in rural and hard-to-reach areas—the PEPFAR/CDC-funded Afya Hatua Project is helping to sustain uninterrupted HIV services, reduce preventable morbidity and mortality, and improve long-term treatment outcomes.
