Mater Dei installs 750kW solar plant to power hospital operations

Mater Dei Hospital in Bulawayo has installed a 750-kilowatt solar power plant to strengthen energy supply at the institution, a development expected to reduce pressure on the national electricity grid while providing uninterrupted power for critical medical services. The solar project, commissioned on Tuesday, consists of 1 300 panels that will power the 169-bed hospital and contribute to Zimbabwe’s broader energy security strategy. Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Old Mutual Zimbabwe Group Chief Executive Officer, Samuel Matsekete, said the project was financed through a partnership involving government, development agencies and the private sector.

“The solar plant project was financed by the Renewable Energy Fund, which is a partnership between the government, the United Nations development agencies, Old Mutual and other private sector players that came on board,” he said. Matsekete added that the project also benefited from support from individuals and organisations who volunteered their services. Mater Dei Hospital Medical Director, Adolf Macheka, said the project was driven by the need to ensure reliable electricity for life-saving medical services.

“Our biggest challenge as a nation is being energy resilient. When that happens, energy-health integration becomes critical because it is a matter of life and death,” he said. Macheka said hospitals could not afford electricity interruptions because of the nature of the services they provide.

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“We have critical services like ICU, coronary care and theatre processes which by their nature cannot afford to have energy interruption,” said Mater Dei’s medical director. He said the solar system would make sure the hospital remains operational even during national grid failures. “The whole idea is that when we have a national grid failure we are resilient. We do not have to depend on external energy production because we are self-sustainable,” said Macheka.

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