Nickolay Mladenov visiting solar plant at Nasser hospital in Gaza15 May 2019, Gaza - UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov visited a solar electrification project at Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza. The project is implemented by the World Health Organization (WHO) with financial support from the Government of Japan. It aims to contribute to the continuous functioning and resilience of the hospital by equipping it with solar panels as an alternative source of electricity.

Gaza has been affected by protracted electricity shortages for over a decade. As a result, the health sector relies on donated fuel to run back-up generators in health facilities to sustain critical services when electricity is unavailable from the mains grid supply. The solar electrification project will reduce the health sector’s dependency on emergency fuel and, therefore, the impact of the electricity crisis on patients.

The official opening of the solar plant and the project handover ceremony between The Government of Japan, WHO and the Ministry of Health will take place in June 2019.