Latest News | IKEA Foundation to Sustainably Upgrade 25,000 Primary Health Facilities in India

New Delhi, Apr 7 (PTI) IKEA Foundation along with SELCO Foundation will sustainably upgrade 25,000 primary health facilities in 12 states of the country by 2026.

The programme will add 100MW of solar energy capacity, has received initial funding of 48 million Euro from the IKEA Foundation, said a joint statement.

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"The initiative will create systems and processes in collaboration with the government health departments for ownership, management, and regular maintenance of the energy systems and appliances. It will also result in knowledge products and resources to enable other states to replicate the initiative," it said.

This is in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), Government of India, the National Health Mission and State Health Departments, it added.

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"This initiative will improve healthcare outcomes and reduce emissions across India, by providing reliable and renewable energy to thousands of clinics throughout the country. We hope its success can serve as a model for building effective and efficient health systems globally," Per Heggenes, CEO of IKEA Foundation said.

The initiative aims to reach over 170 million people across 12 states and improve working conditions for over 160,000 front line health staff at these health facilities.

It will mitigate over 3 million tonnes of CO2e emissions over a 20-year period.

"These will directly contribute to India's Net Zero targets, while also helping meet its Universal Health Coverage goals. The states under this program are Gujarat, Odisha, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim," it said.

Harish Hande, CEO of SELCO Foundation said: "Decentralized Renewable Energy in health centers will lead to democratization of essential services by making them affordable and accessible."

This program focuses not only on improving the Country's health indicators but also on bolstering the ongoing Government efforts to decentralize and democratize healthcare provision in the country while improving its sustainability.

IKEA Foundation is a strategic philanthropy that focuses its grant-making efforts on tackling the two biggest threats to children's futures: poverty and climate change.

IKEA Foundation is funded by INGKA Foundation, owner of the Ingka Group of companies, which owns and operates IKEA retail stores in 30 countries.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)