Health

FG seeks private investment to provide reliable electricity for hospitals nationwide

Published

1 month ago

June 16, 2026

Preport

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The federal government has unveiled a new framework to attract private-sector investment to provide reliable electricity to healthcare facilities across Nigeria.

This move, authorities noted, could improve healthcare delivery and reduce the impact of persistent power shortages in hospitals.

The initiative, known as the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative (NPHI), was launched on Monday at the National Healthcare Electrification Investors Matchmaking Forum in Lagos.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, said inadequate electricity remains a major challenge for healthcare facilities, affecting critical services such as surgeries, vaccine storage, laboratory diagnostics, oxygen delivery and emergency care.

He said the new framework seeks to mobilise private capital to deploy and manage sustainable energy solutions across health facilities, reducing reliance on conventional government-funded infrastructure projects.

“Electricity is not merely a utility in a healthcare facility. It powers life-saving services and technologies that underpin healthcare delivery. When electricity fails, healthcare delivery stagnates,” Mr Salako said.

New model for healthcare electrification

Under the framework, healthcare facilities will adopt an Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) model, under which private energy companies will finance, install, operate and maintain power systems while guaranteeing electricity supply to participating institutions.

Mr Salako said the arrangement would allow hospitals to focus on healthcare delivery while energy providers take responsibility for power infrastructure and maintenance.

He said the initiative is a key outcome of discussions held during the National Stakeholders’ Dialogue on Power in the Health Sector and noted that it represents a shift towards more sustainable financing for healthcare infrastructure.

Focus on tertiary hospitals

According to Mr Salako, the current phase of the programme will focus on federal tertiary health institutions, with plans to expand to primary and secondary healthcare facilities across the country.

He said the framework is built around blended financing, combining government support, development finance, climate finance, and private-sector investment to scale healthcare electrification nationwide.

To coordinate implementation, the government has established an Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee, a 24-member Inter-Agency Technical Committee, Facility Energy Management Teams and a Project Secretariat within the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

Preparing hospitals for investors

Mr Salako said the ministry has also begun strengthening the investment readiness of federal hospitals by training directors of finance and accounts on energy economics, project finance, sustainable business models and investor engagement.

He noted that the government was creating conditions that would make healthcare facilities more attractive to investors and energy developers.

Mr Salako also acknowledged the support of the UK Partnership for Accelerating Climate Transitions (UK PACT) and Landell Mills International in developing the framework.

Addressing investors, commercial banks, development finance institutions, and climate financiers at the forum, Mr Salako said healthcare electrification presents significant investment opportunities while strengthening health outcomes.

Electricity in hospitals

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), electricity is a fundamental requirement for safe and effective healthcare delivery, powering everything from lighting and communications to critical medical equipment used in surgeries, diagnostics, vaccine storage and emergency care.

The government’s latest push for healthcare electrification comes amid recurring power supply challenges in public hospitals, many of which have struggled with rising electricity costs, mounting debts, and prolonged blackouts.

In recent years, several tertiary health institutions have faced disruptions linked to electricity shortages.

Earlier this year, the University College Hospital (UHC) in Ibadan grappled with a prolonged blackout after it was disconnected from the national grid due to unpaid electricity bills.

The months-long outage disrupted clinical services, affected medical training, and triggered protests by students and health workers. Resident doctors also cited the prolonged power crisis as one of the reasons for industrial action at the facility.

Hospital authorities said the disconnection stemmed from accumulated electricity debts running into billions of naira, highlighting the growing financial burden energy costs imposed on public health institutions. During the blackout, departments relied heavily on generators and emergency power sources to sustain critical services.

Concerns over energy costs are not limited to UCH Ibadan.

Last year, the management of a teaching hospital in Akwa Ibom State disclosed that electricity bills accounted for about 40 per cent of its internally generated revenue, highlighting the pressure rising energy costs place on healthcare institutions already facing funding constraints.

Against this backdrop, the federal government has in recent years turned to alternative energy solutions for health facilities.

In February 2025, it announced plans to transition hospitals nationwide to solar energy following prolonged power disruptions at UCH, Ibadan, which severely affected clinical services during a major blackout.

The plan, which formed part of the 2025 health sector energy strategy, was to be implemented through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) as a long-term response to rising diesel costs and unstable grid supply.

Intensifying its efforts, government officials had also disclosed efforts to solarise 371 Primary Health Care Centres (PHCs) across 16 states and the Federal Capital Territory as part of ongoing reforms in the sector. This is also aimed at reducing dependence on the national grid and improving service continuity in critical care units, theatres and laboratories.

More recently, in January 2026, the government inaugurated a 24-member Inter-Agency Technical Committee under the NPHI to coordinate the implementation of healthcare electrification projects nationwide.

Related Topics:electricity hospitals investment nationwide Private provide reliable Seeks

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Health

DR Congo records 3,200 Ebola cases, 1,405 deaths as outbreak worsens

Published

2 hours ago

July 27, 2026

Preport

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has recorded 3,200 confirmed Ebola cases, including 1,405 deaths, as the outbreak continues to spread across six provinces, according to the country’s latest situation report.

The report, which covers data up to Saturday, showed that 571 patients have recovered, while 773 others remain in isolation and under medical supervision.

Within the previous 24 hours, health authorities recorded 125 new infections and 51 deaths, underscoring the continued transmission of the virus.

Ituri remains epicentre

The outbreak, declared on 15 May, is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, which has no approved vaccine or specific treatment, although candidate vaccines are undergoing evaluation.

According to the report, Ituri Province continues to bear the brunt of the outbreak, accounting for 89 per cent of all confirmed infections nationwide.

Health authorities attributed the sustained spread of the virus to population movements, insecurity, artisanal mining activities and cross border travel involving Uganda and South Sudan.

They noted that the outbreak remains in a phase of sustained transmission, with a high level of virus circulation across affected communities.

The report also highlighted mounting pressure on treatment facilities, particularly in North Kivu Province, where 171 patients are occupying centres designed for 141 beds.

Nationwide, Ebola treatment centres have reached an occupancy rate of 82.1 per cent, reflecting the increasing burden on the country’s health system.

Authorities said surveillance and response measures would be intensified to curb transmission and prevent further spread of the disease.

Case in Uganda

The latest figures from the DRC come as neighbouring Uganda moves closer to being declared Ebola free.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Uganda began the mandatory 42-day countdown after discharging its last Ebola patient from an isolation unit.

Under World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, a country can only be declared Ebola free if no new cases are recorded during the 42 -day period.

Preparedness in Nigeria

As the outbreak worsens in Central Africa, Nigerian health authorities have intensified surveillance and emergency preparedness to reduce the risk of cross border transmission.

PREMIUM TIMES previously reported that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) activated its Emergency Operations Centre, strengthened screening at points of entry and heightened surveillance across states following the declaration of the outbreak in the DRC and Uganda.

READ ALSO: CEPI begins first human trial of Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine

The federal government has also identified 21 states and the Federal Capital Territory as being at high risk of Ebola infection based on a dynamic risk assessment and has urged state governments to strengthen surveillance, isolation capacity and infection prevention measures.

Health

10,000 Nigerians benefit from 2026 diaspora health initiative — Official

Published

1 day ago

July 26, 2026

Preport

The federal government has announced that nearly 10,000 Nigerians benefited from specialist medical services, surgeries and other healthcare interventions under the 2026 Nigeria Diaspora Health Impact Initiative (NDHII).

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, disclosed this on Saturday at the National Diaspora Merit Award Dinner and closing ceremony of the 2026 Diaspora Health Impact Initiative held at the Banquet Hall of the State House in Abuja.

Mr Salako said the initiative brought together thousands of Nigerian healthcare professionals in the diaspora who voluntarily returned to the country to provide specialist medical services, conduct surgeries, mentor healthcare workers and support local health systems.

He described the programme as a demonstration of patriotism and an example of how diaspora expertise could help improve healthcare delivery in Nigeria.

According to him, diaspora medical teams drawn from organisations in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Germany and South Africa delivered medical interventions across the country’s six geopolitical zones.

Healthcare services

Mr Salako said the initiative provided medical consultations, specialist surgeries, diagnostic services, telemedicine, sickle cell screening and other healthcare interventions to nearly 10,000 Nigerians.

He added that more than 2,000 frontline healthcare workers were trained during the programme to strengthen the country’s capacity to provide quality healthcare after the medical missions ended.

Among the achievements highlighted by the minister were the training of over 1,000 frontline health workers on the Safer Births Bundle of Care in Kano, Kaduna and Sokoto states.

He also said more than 4,000 medical consultations and over 500 surgeries were carried out in Enugu, Imo and Abia states.

According to him, advanced interventional radiology, neurosurgery and endoscopy procedures were performed in Lagos, while healthcare workers in Edo State received training on ultrasound-based diagnosis of endometriosis.

He added that telemedicine and primary healthcare services were expanded in the Federal Capital Territory and Nasarawa State through the initiative.

Government plans

Mr Salako said the federal government would continue to strengthen engagement with Nigerian health professionals abroad by simplifying licensing procedures, facilitating locum arrangements and supporting customs and visa waivers for medical missions.

He added that the government would also encourage diaspora investment in hospitals, diagnostic centres and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

While acknowledging the migration of Nigerian health professionals, Mr Salako said the Tinubu administration was implementing reforms to improve healthcare financing, infrastructure, workforce welfare, and professional development.

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He urged Nigerian healthcare professionals abroad to register on the newly launched Nigerians in Diaspora Advanced Health Programme (NiDAH) Portal and the Diaspora Health Registry to enable them to contribute more effectively to the country’s health sector.

Mr Salako also called for sustained collaboration through telemedicine, digital health, structured training partnerships, joint clinical research, technology transfer and public-private partnerships.

He commended the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), state governments, development partners and members of the joint planning committee for supporting the successful implementation of the initiative.