Renewable energy as a solution to the power challenges of public hospitals in Nigeria

Abstract

One of the major issues challenging Nigeria is poor and epileptic power supply.¹ This cuts across all sectors but the impact on the health sector is enormous. Asides the poor power supply, the cost of providing power through the national grid to the public hospitals is enormous. The public hospitals have found it difficult paying those bills and this has led to disconnection of hospitals from the national grid.² These have led to public hospitals seeking alternative means of power supply. It had been reported that less than 30% of health facilities in low and middle income countries have access to reliable energy sources, truncating health outcomes and endangering patients in critical conditions.³

Hospitals are energy-intensive facilities that require significant amounts of electricity for heating, cooling, lighting, ventilation, water supply and operation of essential medical equipment. ^4-7 The daily activity of a hospital demands an enormous amount of electrical energy to meet medical and comfort needs.5 The high energy demand of hospitals is mainly attributed to various factors such as 24/7 operation, specialized medical equipment, temperature and humidity control, and lighting requirements.⁴ Modern health facilities in high- and middle-income countries are among the largest commercial consumers of energy. ^6,7 As healthcare facilities strive to provide optimal patient care, it becomes imperative to address the energy efficiency challenges to ensure the sustainability of healthcare delivery.⁴

Reliable power supply is associated with improvements in the quality of health care delivery.³ Poor power supply which is particularly apparent in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), commonly disrupts essential health services.^3,8 Unreliable electricity leads to insufficient use of health technologies, interruptions in the use of essential medical and diagnostic devices, vaccine spoilage, increased fuel costs and waste for health facilities – limiting healthcare capabilities in already disadvantaged areas.^3,6 Stable power supply allows new heights in achieving SDG ³ (SDG ³) which seeks to guarantee healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, and SDG⁷ which seeks sustainable energy for all in LMICs.³