FG INAUGURATES IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE FOR NATIONAL DIALOGUE ON POWER IN HEALTH SECTOR ..... The Time For Experimentation and Haphazard Adoption Of Unproven Platforms For Energy Sourcing Is Over, Says Iziaq Salako

Dr. Iziaq Salako 
Minister of State, Health

"We can no longer afford business as usual in the face of mounting energy bills of our hospitals. The time has come for all hands to be on deck to relieve our hospitals of the burden of prohibitive cost of power supply which gulps hundreds of millions of Naira monthly." Iziaq Salako 

Nigeria's Minister of State, Health, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako has restated the resolve of the Federal Government to lay the right foundation and take progressive steps towards the attainment of energy sufficiency and sustainable electrification of our public healthcare facilities.

Salako stated this while welcoming participants to the inauguration of the Implementation Committee for National Dialogue On Power In The Health Sector which took place at the Headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Abuja on Thursday 28 March 2025.

The event had in attendance, key stakeholders in the health and power sectors at the nation's capital, Abuja.

The Minister, while delivering his address, noted that, "since assumption in office as the Honourable Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare about 6 months ago, I have conducted working visits to many of our Federal Tertiary Health Institutions in different geopolitical zones of the  country. 

Dr. Iziaq disclosed that the familiarization visits gave him the opportunity to be directly exposed to the challenges being faced by Federal Tertiary Health Institutions; one major one being the deficits in electricity provision and huge energy cost."

"As you may all be aware, there have been some media reports in recent times that have not been complimentary with respect to power supply in our public healthcare institutions. The Federal Government has risen to this challenge through various initiatives including 50% electricity subsidy for public hospitals and provision of solar power mini-grids in selected hospitals." He said.

"These initiatives have however not been able to substantially address the challenges thus the need for an urgent rethinking of our traditional models of power generation and supply to hospitals. Indeed, the current situation requires a collaborative whole-of-government approach as we work across sectors to resolve many challenging issues that are beyond the purview of the health sector.

"In all the hospitals that I visited, I have instructed the Medical Directors to explore various public-private partnership models, develop business cases, and draw up strategic plans of engagement that will attract private sector investments to boost their capacities in the area of alternative and renewable energy solutions. 

"I encourage all public healthcare facilities to think in this direction and I believe this should be a priority agenda for the Committee of CMDs and MDs of Federal Tertiary Hospitals." Dr Salako stated.

He noted that, "While I acknowledge that there have been some pockets of deployment of alternative energy solutions in some of our health institutions, it is obvious that the current efforts are neither integrated nor guided by any holistic framework, operational guideline, or overarching policy. In addition, there have been reports of fire incidents, battery malfunction, theft of critical energy infrastructure, and other operational or maintenance problems in some health institutions that have embarked on alternative energy projects."

According to Dr. Salako, "The time for experimentation and haphazard adoption of unproven platforms for energy sourcing is over. We can no longer afford business as usual in the face of mounting energy bills of our hospitals. The time has come for all hands to be on deck to relieve our hospitals of the burden of prohibitive cost of power supply which gulps hundreds of millions of Naira monthly. 

"This is the time to be creative and innovative as we move to develop and adopt smart energy solutions that will strengthen our health system and empower us to deliver on our core mandate of improving population health outcomes.

The Minister of State, Health noted that, "Against this background, the need for a National Stakeholders Dialogue on Power in the Health Sector has become compelling. The objectives of the dialogue will include:

i. To assess the existing power policy environment against the urgency of the energy needs of tertiary health facilities and other public health facilities in Nigeria based on lessons from other low-middle-income countries (LMICs)

ii. To gather field experiences of the current power situation and eliciting practical recommendations and best practices.

iii. To identify alternative and sustainable solutions by exploring renewable energy options, backup power systems, and energy-efficient solutions to enhance power reliability.

iv. To agree on mechanisms to strengthen public-private partnerships for electricity supply to public health institutions in the country.

v. To build consensus on policy and regulatory frameworks, funding mechanisms, and sustainability strategy for efficient power supply to tertiary health facilities and other public health institutions in the country.

vi. To develop a collaborative action plan for monitoring implementation of key agreements of the national dialogue.

The Minister stressed that "the proposed National Dialogue will be hosted by the office of the Honourable Minister of State for Health at a location either in Abuja or Lagos.  It will be attended by experts from the health and power sectors. Participants shall be carefully selected from the list of mapped stakeholders based on their level of interest and influence. Key decisions and recommendations shall be documented in the Communique and a Collaborative Plan of Action will be developed to monitor the implementation of the decisions through the office of the Honourable Minister of State for Health. 

"As the saying goes, proper planning prevents poor performance. Therefore, in order to plan and prepare well for this important National Dialogue, I have decided to inaugurate this Implementation Committee on National Dialogue IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE FOR NATIONAL DIALOGUE ON POWER IN THE HEALTH SECTOR with the following terms of reference: 

(i)  Convene the National Stakeholders Dialogue on Power in the Health Sector; 

(ii) Ensure effective implementation of recommendations from the National Dialogue;

(iii) Mobilise resources and attract investments for sustainable electrification of public healthcare facilities, using a whole-of-government approach.

A symbolic representation of Inauguration of the Implementation Committee: Dr. Adekunle Salako handing over the Letter of Invitation to Dr. Babatunde Ipaye, Vice Chairman of the Committee & former Commissioner Lagos State

Salako further stated that, "As we proceed in planning and preparations towards hosting a successful National Stakeholders Dialogue on Power in the Health Sector, let me use this opportunity to appreciate the priority attention the health sector has been receiving under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR which is slowly and steadily taking Nigeria on the path to universal health coverage. I appreciate the unwavering commitment of the Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate; the Permanent Secretary, Ms. Daju Kachollom, all the Directors and the entire staff of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, as we work together to implement and deliver on the Presidential Priorities of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) with respect to transformative health sector renewal.

"I am grateful to the Honourable Minister of Power, ably represented here today, for his commitment to intersectoral collaboration as he join hands to confront and resolve the numerous challenges of energy provision that have become a burden to our healthcare facilities across the country. 

"I recognize and commend all the government agencies and parastatals that are represented here today, for considering this critical assignment worthy of your involvement and commitment. 

The Minister, in his closing, gave special thanks to the development partners and private sector organizations here present, for their consistent support to the Government of Nigeria over several decades, and for willingness to ensure the success of this important task, as we strive together to strengthen Nigeria’s health system and achieve Universal Health Coverage.