FG Seeks Reliable Power For Health Facilities Amid 40% Non-access

Amid alarming statistic that astir 40 per cent of Nigeria’s functional Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) inactive deficiency entree to electricity, the national authorities is intensifying its efforts to supply reliable powerfulness to wellness facilities nationwide, recognising the captious relation that energy plays successful effectual healthcare delivery.

The curate of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, who gave this commitment, declared that nary hospital, diagnostic laboratory, oregon superior wellness centre should beryllium successful darkness.

Adelabu gave the assurance successful Abuja connected Tuesday astatine the First National Stakeholders’ Dialogue connected Power successful the Health Sector.

This dialog and its initiatives are important erstwhile astir 40 per cent of Nigeria’s functional Primary Healthcare Centres deficiency entree to electricity, profoundly compromising healthcare transportation successful agrarian and underserved areas. Experts noted that without reliable power, vaccine retention is jeopardised, maternal wellness is endangered, and exigency services are constrained by darkness.

This is arsenic the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, revealed that 40 per cent of nationalist PHCs are unelectrified, with galore others suffering unreliable entree to power.
Adelabu described the lawsuit arsenic a landmark measurement successful aligning the vigor and wellness sectors to amended work delivery.

The curate noted that the dialog was an accidental to “strengthen the nexus betwixt reliable vigor entree and the transportation of prime healthcare services,” adding that collaboration betwixt ministries, improvement partners, and the backstage assemblage was crucial.

“The challenges facing our nation, whether successful health, education, oregon infrastructure, are interconnected. Without reliable power, wellness systems cannot relation effectively.

“Without a steadfast population, productivity and economical maturation cannot beryllium achieved,” the Minister said.
Adelabu highlighted ongoing interventions by the Federal Ministry of Power done the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), including deploying star hybrid mini-grids, standalone star systems, and artillery retention solutions to healthcare centres nationwide.

He recalled that during the COVID-19 pandemic, REA installed 50kW star mini-grids successful astir 100 healthcare facilities, ensuring an uninterrupted powerfulness proviso for vaccine storage, exigency services, and captious aesculapian procedures.

The curate further cited projects nether the Energising Education Programme, including the 12MW star hybrid strategy astatine the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and the 7MW strategy astatine the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital.

According to him, the systems person provided clean, reliable vigor portion reducing costs and preventing misuse of infirmary energy allocations.

“These are not abstract achievements; they correspond existent lives being saved, communities being empowered, and healthcare being brought person to the people,” Adelabu said.

The curate stressed that the adjacent signifier was to standard up these interventions nationwide, fortify argumentation frameworks to pull concern successful health-sector electrification, and blend public, private, and donor financing.

He added that the inaugural aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises entree to powerfulness and prime healthcare.

“This is not conscionable astir powering buildings. It is astir powering hope, dignity, and our nation’s future,” Adelabu declared.

This deficiency of energy undermines captious aesculapian functions specified arsenic vaccine refrigeration, nighttime deliveries, and exigency services, disproportionately affecting agrarian and underserved communities. “Without reliable power, wellness systems cannot relation effectively,” Minister Adelabu observed, highlighting the cardinal request for vigor successful healthcare.

Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, strengthening powerfulness entree for wellness facilities has go a nationalist priority. “By powering healthcare, we are advancing entree to prime healthcare and sustainable improvement simultaneously,” Adelabu said. The Electricity Act of 2023 present encourages decentralisation and subnational authorities information successful vigor provision, paving the mode for innovative solutions.

Health authorities echoed the telephone for expanded collaboration and investment. Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, emphasised, “The entree and quality-limiting effects of vigor poorness successful our wellness assemblage request a joint, coordinated response.” The authorities aims to mobilise divers backing sources, blending public, private, and donor enactment to concern electrification projects sustainably.

The standard of the situation is immense. Nigeria has implicit 40,000 healthcare facilities, with PHC...