Temperature and humidity trends in a health centre in The Gambia: Implications for back up battery-life in tropical settings

In low-resource settings, medical equipment can be powered by backup energy sources, such as batteries, to compensate for intermittent and unreliable power. The lifespan and functionality of batteries can be negatively affected by harsh environmental conditions (e.g. high temperature, humidity). Daily temperature and humidity data were collected over the past year at a health centre in Basse Santa Su, The Gambia, where a battery system has been installed as a back-up power supply for a medical oxygen system. Seasonal temperature and humidity highs occurred before and during rainy season (June through October), respectively. Average temperatures were over 30°C between March and June (10°C over the ideal operating temperature); this is expected to reduce battery life by approximately 16%. Our collected data values were comparable to publically available temperature and humidity data, demonstrating the validity of using regional data to estimate site-specific climate conditions. Recommendations for prolonging battery life are also presented.