The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, says the Federal Government is taking deliberate steps to address electricity challenges affecting healthcare delivery in health facilities across Nigeria.
Salako made this known on Thursday in Abuja at the 11th Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Intensive and Critical Care Society of Nigeria (I-CCSN), focused on strengthening intensive care services.
The conference, supported by the World Federation of Intensive and Critical Care, is themed “Sustainable Financing for Intensive Care Units in Public Health Facilities.”
Other sub-themes include data management in critical care, sepsis in Nigeria from diagnosis to survival, and mechanical ventilation in low-resource settings.
Salako said the Federal Government had introduced the “Health Power Initiative” to tackle electricity shortages in healthcare facilities and improve power supply for efficient service delivery nationwide.
He expressed optimism that the initiative would significantly improve electricity supply in hospitals, thereby enhancing healthcare services, patient safety and the functionality of critical medical equipment.
The minister also highlighted recent government interventions, including the deployment of 145 tricycle ambulances and six boat ambulances to strengthen the National Emergency Medical Service.
According to him, the interventions represent important milestones in improving maternal healthcare, stressing that building a sustainable health system requires continued investment and expansion.
Earlier, Dr. Olalekan Olatise, Chief Medical Director of Zenith Medical and Kidney Centre, Abuja, urged the Federal Government to introduce tax waivers for Nigerians investing in the health sector.
He said such incentives would attract more private sector participation and encourage investment in healthcare infrastructure across the country.
Olatise, who also chairs the conference, urged the government to urgently address electricity challenges in the health sector, noting that inadequate power supply continued to undermine healthcare delivery.
He noted that intensive care equipment is costly, while many hospitals lack adequate consumables, and called on policymakers to support efforts aimed at bridging existing gaps in critical care.
“Zenith Medical and Kidney Centre, Abuja is taking steps to establish a 10-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the hospital.
“In the past, it was difficult to access foreign exchange for investments in the country, but the Ministry of Health is gradually making the process easier for us,” he added.
Olatise said the Intensive and Critical Care Society of Nigeria had recorded significant growth over the years and continued to make meaningful contributions to the development of healthcare services.
