The Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN) has urged the federal government to deliberately include private hospitals in its ongoing power reform agenda, warning that excluding them would weaken efforts to build a resilient health system and deny millions of Nigerians access to uninterrupted care.
The call was made during the inaugural two-day National Stakeholders Dialogue on Power in the Health Sector, held in Abuja, that brought together high-level government officials, private sector leaders, and development partners.
The event, themed, ‘Synergy: Energizing Nigeria’s Health Sector for the Future’, featured keynote addresses from the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate; the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Adekunle Salako; and the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, among other stakeholders.
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Njide Ndili, President of HFN and Country Director of PharmAccess Foundation, who also served on the dialogue’s planning committee, said the private sector must be at the centre of solutions to Nigeria’s health power crisis.
“Private hospitals provide over 60 per cent of healthcare in Nigeria. If energy solutions and financing schemes exclude the private sector, we will fail to reach most Nigerians.
“Powering healthcare means powering lives, and that must include every hospital, public and private,” she said.
HFN presented findings of a national survey of private healthcare providers which showed that while 94 per cent of facilities are connected to the national grid, supply remains grossly unreliable.
According to Ndili, who noted that hospitals are forced to spend as much as ₦20–₦25 million monthly on energy, with energy costs consuming between 5 and 25 per cent of operating expenses, in some cases rising as high as 40 per cent.
“This financial strain directly affects patients, driving an 88 per cent increase in patient bills, a 46 per cent decline in quality of care, and a 43 per cent rise in pharmaceutical costs,” she noted.
She stressed that to achieve sustainable reforms, the government must prioritize public-private partnerships and address the trust gap between both sectors.
“It’s not always about profit for the private sector, but about adding value to strengthen healthcare delivery,” she said, calling for the creation of dedicated healthcare infrastructure funds and innovative de-risking models to ease the cost of adopting alternative energy.
Ndili also underscored the need for a diverse energy mix, including solar, gas, wind, and mini-grids, to ensure that critical facilities such as intensive care units, operating theatres, and maternity wards are never left without power.
She pledged the commitment of HFN to working with federal and state governments, as well as development partners, to translate the outcomes of the dialogue into tangible projects.
The Federation also called for quarterly reviews to monitor progress and ensure accountability.
“Powering healthcare is not a luxury, it is a national imperative to save lives and build a healthier, more productive Nigeria,” Ndili stressed.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, described reliable energy as central to the government’s health reform agenda.
He praised the collaboration with the Ministry of Power in convening the dialogue, saying it reflected the administration’s determination to address structural challenges in healthcare.
“With reliable energy, digital connectivity, and private sector investment, our health system can leapfrog to deliver quality care and end medical tourism,” Pate said.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Adekunle Salako, reinforced this vision, stressing that access to power is fundamental to dignity and survival.
“No health facility in Nigeria should be left in the dark. Solutions from this dialogue must be practical, scalable, and equitable, ensuring uninterrupted services from rural primary health centres to teaching hospitals nationwide,” he said.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, linked reliable electricity directly to healthcare outcomes and economic development.
“Power is the foundation not just for resilient healthcare, but also for economic growth and industrial development,” he said, urging stakeholders to leverage solar and other renewable sources to transform policy into real impact for Nigerians.
Participants at the dialogue agreed that solving the power crisis in healthcare will require a combination of policy reform, innovative financing mechanisms, and tailored energy solutions to meet the needs of facilities at all levels.
The stakeholders reached a consensus on the urgent need for a coordinated implementation roadmap that clearly outlines the responsibilities of government, private investors, and development partners in ensuring that every health facility across the country has access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy.
The dialogue concluded with the Federal Government and stakeholders signing a compact, committing to improve power supply in health institutions by at least 50 per cent within the next two years.
