How lack of stable electricity puts patients’ lives in danger in Ogun hospital

“You people enjoy seeing casualties, taking them (patients) to the mortuary. My family and I can’t go to the mortuary. If you like it or not, if it’s your plan, it won’t work,” lamented Abiola Bolaji, a mother whose sick daughter, dependent on an oxygen machine, is suffering due to the lack of electricity at Sokenu State Hospital in Ijaiye, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

“There’s no electricity, no fan. I’m talking particularly about the Emergency Treatment Room (ETR). You can’t imagine my daughter, who was on an oxygen machine, had to suffer after I paid over ₦200,000,” Ms Bolaji said.

Visiting the state hospital to get her daughter admitted for treatment, she said she felt disappointed after spending nearly a week in the facility with her child.

“Everywhere was smelling; the rate at which the odour came out was not good. I brought my daughter last Tuesday, and up till now, we don’t have water, we don’t have light,” she said angrily.

According to her, although small-capacity generators were used to power the facilities in the hospital, ”they weren’t enough to power the oxygen machines and fans and provide water”.

”We didn’t have light, and because it was a small generator, there was no fan to use,” she added.

Facing these problems in just a week of admitting her daughter to the state hospital, she said she tried to complain to the facility’s authority.

“I called the head of this hospital, but he refused to pick up my call. I wonder why he’s the head. I also called the health clerical staff, and they refused to pick up my call until one Mr Idris pleaded and said they would look for a way out.”

She said the state hospital should be closed to avoid jeopardizing patients’ lives.

The lack of reliable electricity is one of the problems faced by patients and staff at Sokenu State Hospital in Abeokuta.

In Nigeria, electricity is a significant problem that has yet to be solved by state and federal governments.

In 2024 alone, the national grid experienced six collapses, resulting in significant drops in electricity generation and nationwide blackouts, exacerbating problems in the health sector.

The grid failed on 4 February, 15 February, 4 April, and 15 April, resulting in significant drops in electricity generation.

This is despite the federal government’s massive funding in the power sector, leaving the country’s hopes of getting stable electricity in disarray.

Hospital

However, in 2021, UDEME learnt that the state government under Dapo Abiodun allocated ₦31.8 million to procure one 250KVA generator and two Fireman ECO12990E generators to power Sokenu Hospital.

An additional ₦32.1 million was budgeted in 2022, totalling ₦63.9 million for the completion of the project.

A sum of ₦12 million was also budgeted to maintain the power generation sets in 2021.

UDEME discovered that these generators have been abandoned and are broken down with no maintenance, leaving the hospital to use small generators to power extensive facilities.

About eight small generators were put on in various hospital departments during the reporter’s visit.

Patients lament

To confirm if these generators were used to power top facilities like oxygen machines, as claimed by Ms Bolaji, this reporter visited the ETR and found no alteration of truth in her claim.

Patients were seen crammed from the entrance to the inner parts of the ETR. Some were using oxygen, while others struggled to breathe.

An elderly man on a bed was seen struggling to breathe, producing a loud sound with each breath.

Comfort Adebayo narrates a harrowing experience.

Ms Adebayo said her son’s emergency treatment was delayed due to a blackout, leaving her terrified and wondering how a hospital could operate without reliable electricity.

She said the light went out just after her son was taken into the lab. “I could hear them scrambling for torches. I was terrified. How can a hospital not have reliable electricity?”

“My son was in critical condition. The delay caused by the blackout could have cost him his life. We were lucky this time, but what about next time? How many more families must endure this nightmare?” she stressed.

“My father has been here for days, and it’s been tough. The small generators can’t power the machines properly. Sometimes, we have to fan him manually because there’s no electricity. It’s heartbreaking,” said another patient’s relative who wished to be identified simply as Johnson.

The generators are not in good state — Officer

The hospital’s top officers declined comments when approached by the reporter.

But an officer in the hospital’s maintenance department who did not want his name in print confirmed that the project had been executed and the generators delivered.

However, according to the officer, ”the generators are not in good condition as they are not being maintained”.

”The Fireman generators are still manageable. However, the 250KVA generator has spoiled and is not in use.”

The officer added, “The fireman generators get issues almost every time but are still manageable.”

Similarly, the officer said proper maintenance had yet to be done on the generators, leaving room for frequent breakdowns.

Calls for government action

Meanwhile, residents around the hospital have called on the government to address the power issues plaguing the hospital.

Tunde Adedayo, a resident, stressed how unacceptable the issue is, adding that it has the potential risk of jeopardising patients’ lives.

“It’s unacceptable that despite the huge sums allocated for generators, patients still suffer.”

He said, “The government needs to look into this issue and ensure that funds are properly utilised and that there is regular maintenance of these generators. We need accountability and transparency in this process.”

Another resident, Bola Ajayi, stressed how important health is to human beings. She added, “We cannot afford to lose more lives due to negligence. The health of our community should be a priority.”

Some respondents advised the government to use solar energy to power the powerful machines, adding that once done, it would reduce the cost of fuel and maintenance.

They urged the government to take immediate action to resolve the electricity problems at Sokenu State Hospital and other healthcare facilities in the state.

We are not aware of crisis — Ogun Commissioner for Health

UDEME reached out to the state commissioner for health, Tomi Coker.

She revealed that ”the state needed to be made aware of the crisis faced by the hospital and had not been informed” as of the time of filing this report.

“I am not aware of this, and the supply of electricity is the responsibility of the Bureau of Energy. I cannot comment on this as I have no information,” Mrs Coker said.

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She, however, said the state hospital’s Managing Director would be summoned by the Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Hospital Management Board (HMB) to give his report before further action is taken to solve the problems.