FG Moves to Ensure Sustainable Power Supply to Public Health Institutions

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The federal government has commenced measures to ensure stability and sustainability in electricity supply to public health institutions across the country.
It said the issue of poor electricity supply to public health institutions and the accompanying humongous bills is becoming very worrisome.

To this end, the government is proposing a National Dialogue on Sustainable Power Supply in the Health Sector to be hosted by the office of the Minister of State for Health either in Abuja or Lagos.
Against the background of recent reports of power supply challenges facing public health institutions across the country, the government said it has undertaken various initiatives, including a 50 per cent electricity subsidy for public hospitals and the provision of solar power mini-grids in selected hospitals.

Speaking during the inauguration of the implementation committee for National Dialogue on Power in the Health Sector, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, said there was an urgent need for rethinking of traditional models of power generation and supply to hospitals.

The minister said the current situation in the energy sector requires a collaborative whole-of-government approach to resolve many challenging issues that are beyond the purview of the health sector.

“In all the hospitals that I visited, I have instructed the Medical Directors to explore various public-private partnership models, develop business cases, and draw up strategic plans of engagement that will attract private sector investments to boost their capacities in the area of alternative and renewable energy solutions.
“I encourage all public healthcare facilities to think in this direction and I believe this should be a priority agenda for the Committee of CMDs and MDs of Federal Tertiary Hospitals.

“These initiatives have however not been able to substantially address the challenges thus the need for an urgent rethinking of our traditional models of power generation and supply to hospitals.
“We can no longer afford business as usual in the face of mounting energy bills of our hospitals. The time has come for all hands to be on deck to relieve our hospitals of the burden of prohibitive cost of power supply which gulps hundreds of millions of Naira monthly,” he said.

Salako said it is the time to be creative and innovative to develop and adopt smart energy solutions that “will strengthen our health system and empower us to deliver on our core mandate of improving population health outcomes.”
 He explained that the key objectives of the dialogue will include; to assess the existing power policy environment against the urgency of the energy needs of tertiary health facilities and other public health facilities in Nigeria based on lessons from other low-middle-income countries
Among the terms of reference for the committee is to mobilise resources and attract investments for the sustainable electrification of public healthcare facilities using a whole-of-government approach.
In addition, the committee is to be built from experiences of the current power situation and recommend best practices going forward.

Other terms of reference for the committee is to identify alternative and sustainable solutions by exploring renewable energy options, backup power systems, and energy-efficient solutions to enhance power reliability and develop a collaborative action plan for monitoring the implementation of key agreements of the national dialogue.
The committee will also agree on mechanisms to strengthen public-private partnerships for electricity supply to public health institutions in the country and build consensus on policy and regulatory frameworks, funding mechanisms, and sustainability strategies for efficient power supply to tertiary health facilities and other public health institutions in the country.