Power outages in health sector no longer acceptable – Tinubu

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said his administration will no longer tolerate persistent power outages in hospitals, describing reliable electricity as the cornerstone of modern healthcare.

He spoke in Abuja on Tuesday at the first National Stakeholders’ Dialogue on Power in the Health Sector, themed “Powering Health Through Public-Private Synergy: Energizing Nigeria’s Health Sector for the Future.” The event was organized by the Federal Ministries of Health and Social Welfare and Power.

Tinubu, represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, said the frequent disruptions in electricity supply in hospitals pose grave risks.

“In surgical theatres, maternity wards, intensive care units, laboratories, and emergency rooms across the country, power outages compromise safety, interrupt care, and cost lives. These outages cannot continue, and under our administration, they should not. Lives are at stake. We must act now,” he said.

The president assured stakeholders of his commitment to transforming the health sector through innovative and sustainable energy solutions.

He said the initiative aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to decentralise energy supply, expand off-grid solar and hybrid systems, and promote public-private partnerships.

He also pledged to mobilise investments from development partners and international financiers while urging health institutions to adopt long-term, community-owned solutions rather than temporary fixes.

Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, warned that Nigeria’s health system is “inefficiently powered,” with unreliable electricity crippling hospital operations.

He cited a 2021 survey by Sustainable Energy for All, which showed that 40 per cent of functional primary health facilities in Nigeria lack electricity, while most of the rest receive less than 10 hours of power daily.

Federal Tertiary Health Institutions, he added, require between three and eight megawatts to function optimally but receive only 5.3 hours of grid power daily, forcing them to spend between N20 million and N180 million monthly on energy.