Nigeria has a chronic electricity shortage that has affected the country for many years. In 2022, its power grid collapsed twice in one week.
The electricity sector in Nigeria generates, transmits and distributes megawatts(MW) of electric power that is significantly less than what is needed to meet basic household and industrial needs according to Wikipedia. Studies show that Nigeria has twenty-three (23) power-generating plants connected to the national grid with the capacity to generate 11,165.4 MW of electricity which falls short of the 40, 000 MW needed to sustain the basic needs of the population.
This deficit is also worsened by unannounced load shedding, partial and total system collapse and power failure. To meet demand, many households and businesses resort to purchasing generating sets to power their properties, this source of energy provided 25,000 MW in 2023.
For instance, for the past one week, the Transmission Company of Nigeria on 22 October reported a power outage in the north-east, north-west, and parts of north-central Nigeria after the 330-kilovolt Ugwuaji–Apir double circuit transmission lines 1 and 2 tripped.
The challenge of poor electricity supply has affected almost every sector from health, to education and financial services among others.
In this report, Junaidu Dahiru tells us how the poor power situation in the country affected Maru General hospital in Zamfara state and what they did to get some relief through the assistance of a Non-Governmental Organisation.
Maru Town in Zamfara State is among the areas which has been negatively affected by the poor electricity supply in the country.
The General Hospital in Maru is among the Health facilities which the inadequate power supply has affected, this has led to severe limitations especially in the Clinical Laboratory department, which is a key department where the necessary tests are carried out before patients can be diagnosed and can commence treatment.
The Hospital serves Jabaka, Lugga, Bayan Dutsi, Hayin Gulbi and Dan Marke communities in Maru local government area of Zamfara state with patients from these communities trooping in to the hospital on a daily basis to access healthcare services.
The hope of these residents of getting quality healthcare is sometimes not achieved as a result of poor electricity supply.
For instance, Malama Hindatu Sani from Bayan Dutsi a community close to Maru Town disclosed that she lost her daughter who had sickle cell disease because she had a crisis and required a blood transfusion which she failed to get because there was no light to runs tests on potential donors.
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Mal. Abdullahi Lawal, who is a resident of Lugga community lamented that the poor road network makes it difficult to access the hospital and then they are further traumatized when they come and they are faced with the issue of poor or no electricity supply.
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Medical director of the hospital, Dr Muhammad Idris Anka said the only reliable means of power supply is the generating set which is sometimes not available because it may be faulty and may not be available at times due to lack of resources to fuel it.
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He lamented the difficulties the hospital usually passed through in trying to address the challenge of electricity supply until a Non-Governmental Organisation, Health System Consultant Limited (HSCL) came to their aid.
HSCL is an NGO which aims to provide high impact and cost-effective technical assistance towards improving access to quality health care and achieving sustainable development and in the General Hospital in Maru, they are providing intervention in the area of HIV testing and provision of anti-retroviral drugs for HIV and AIDs patients.
The NGO in response to the electricity challenge first resorted to the use of solar power to power their offices in the hospital where records of HIV patients are stored in a computer system and the laboratory where tests are carried out as well as the storing of blood for the benefit of the patients.
HSCL Co'ordinator in Maru local Government Nura Na'ala said as an organization they were further encouraged to do more in order alleviate the sufferings of the people and this is what led to them providing four solar panels lithium battery and inverter to power the Clinical Laboratory department of the hospital.
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According to Na’ala, the project which cost over N1, 800. 000 is to enable patients get accelerated diagnosis which was a major challenge before due to poor electricity since most machines in the Clinical Laboratory department require electricity to function.
Malam Abdulkarim Isah who has benefited from the intervention said the quality of care at the hospital has improved.
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Malan Yusufa Jabaka who visited the hospital to donate blood expressed joy that within a short period of time he donated blood which was tested with out any waste of time.
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A mother Malama Hindatu Usman said the intervention ensured that her son who was ill got tested for malaria and treatment commenced within a short period.
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Medical director of the hospital, Dr Anka while acknowledging all the improvement and the impact of the solar system on the clinical department said, the Hospital still needs regular access to power supply especially in the theatre medical wards and other departments of the Hospital.
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Other patients who commended the solar power, lamented that during the rainy season, when there is no sunlight the solar panels are not very effective thereby affecting the quality of service.
*This story was produced by Gold City Fm 105.5 in partnership with Nigeria Health Watch through the Solutions Journalism Network.*