At the National Orthopaedic Hospital in Dala, Kano, the Federal Government has installed a 1.5-megawatt solar hybrid mini-grid to increase the provision of dependable and reasonably priced power for medical services. This was revealed on Thursday during the groundbreaking ceremony in Kano by Abba Abubakar-Aliyu, Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency.
A 1.5-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment, provided by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to the hospital, was also showcased during the ceremony.
According to Abubakar-Aliyu, the solar intervention was a component of President Bola Tinubu's National Public Sector Solarisation Initiative, which aims to improve power supply to key public institutions. The program focuses on four important areas: security, agriculture, education, and health.
He clarified that the Dala Orthopaedic Hospital, which was founded in 1959, was chosen due to its growing energy requirements and long history of offering specialized treatment.
"We have been instructed by the Honourable Minister of Power to improve the sustainability, affordability, and dependability of power in important public institutions.
"We are issuing the groundbreaking for the deployment of 1.5 megawatts of hybrid mini-grid to this historic medical institution today," he said.
The initiative, he continued, is in line with other implementations at fifteen federal colleges, including one in Kano, where REA just renovated and upgraded the system to six megawatts.
He claims that the installation would also help the hospital's recently purchased MRI scanner, which needs an uninterrupted power supply.
"The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) is providing MRI equipment to strengthen diagnostic services, and we provide electricity reliability at this nexus," he stated.
He clarified that the hospital's distribution network upgrading and metering needs will determine the project's ultimate cost.
Dr Nurudeen Isa, the hospital's chief medical director, called the action prompt and life-saving.
The majority of hospitals have been having trouble paying their power bills, particularly under Band A pricing. Our heavy reliance on diesel generators is unsustainable. The timing of this initiative is ideal for the hospital, the patients, and the environment, according to Isa.
Isa clarified that the hospital's MRI scanner needs electricity around the clock, which is now too costly to provide with generators alone.
"We can proceed with this intervention. It will drastically cut expenses and make services, like MRI scans, more accessible to people, he continued.
The CMD emphasized that better supply would lessen the financial strain on both hospitals and patients, stating that power continued to be the largest operational expense for hospitals.
"We express our gratitude to Mr President and the Rural Electrification Agency's management for offering this assistance during a critical period," he stated.
