Modernization Partnership Ukrainian Hospitals

Project partner

• Association of Ukrainian Energy Auditors
• Energy experts from Ukraine
• Delta Ukraine

Project description

Ensuring affordable, reliable energy supplies is a political priority for Ukraine. The country is heavily dependent on energy imports from abroad. More than 1,000 hospitals with around 430,000 beds are currently among the most energy-intensive public institutions. Individual hospitals have to spend up to 20 percent of their budget on energy. The recent sharp rise in energy prices is putting hospital owners under considerable economic pressure and severely restricting their room for manoeuvre. The quality of care suffers because important medical goods can no longer be procured in sufficient quantities. Energy modernisation, which above all does not include investment measures or only small investments, cannot be carried out at present.

For several years e7 has accompanied the GIZ in its programme "Modernisation Partnership for Energy Efficiency in Hospitals", whereby the support was provided in several individual contracts. As part of the programme, in the Ukrainian cities of Chernihiv and Sumy the first step was to familiarise the staff of the city administration and the hospitals with the topic of energy efficiency. There were 4-day seminars in each of the two cities to demonstrate the possibilities. Energy costs account for around 15% of the annual costs of Ukrainian hospitals, which often means that energy services are not required. For example, there are polyclinics that do not have hot water in summer. Flashlights are a useful gift for saving even more energy at night.

In the second phase, a total of 15 energy audits were carried out in the two cities. This is done partly through training, but also through content monitoring and control of the audits. As a result, two guidelines for energy audits in Ukrainian hospitals are now available. One guideline shows the audit path from the point of view of the hospital administration, the other from the point of view of the auditors.

On the basis of these audits, it was jointly decided which four hospitals in Sumy and Chernihiv would be refurbished primarily thermally with financial support, with some of the heat centre also being renewed. In this phase of the structural implementation a cooperation with the Austrian company DELTA took place. The structural renovation was started late in September 2019, but is expected to be completed by 2019.