President Bola Tinubu has said his government will no longer tolerate continuous power outages in hospitals, describing reliable electricity as the bedrock of modern healthcare.
He said this in Abuja 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.
Represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, Tinubu stated that 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.
He noted that the initiative is in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to decentralise energy supply, expand off-grid solar and hybrid systems, and promote public-private partnerships.
He further 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.
