Preventive Maintenance Manual for Small Health Care Facilities

Many health facilities in the Caribbean are located in areas of high risk and need strengthening in the face of repeated damage or increasing climate threats. Health care facilities can also be large consumers of energy, with a significant environmental footprint. With energy prices in the Caribbean among the highest in the world, savings could be better used on improving services. A smart health facility is both safe and green. 

The ‘Smart Health Care Facilities in the Caribbean’ project funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) was implemented by PAHO/WHO in partnership with the Ministries of Health in 7 target countries: Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. 

Up till now (preventive) maintenance has never been a top priority in the Caribbean. It is however another way to save money in the long term which can again be used to improve the health services. In order to make the Smart Hospitals Project sustainable, following the instructions of this preventative maintenance manual is strongly recommended. It comes in a easy to use pocket format, so it will be effortless to refer to while conducting the highly recommended preventive maintenance. Let’s start using it to provide safer, greener health facilities to deliver care in disasters!