The outgoing Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Metta, Dr. Adedamola Dada, has revealed that the hospital incurs a staggering N20 million electricity bill every month despite receiving only about three hours of public power supply daily.
According to The PUNCH, Dr. Dada made the disclosure during a media briefing on Saturday, where he spoke about the achievements and persistent challenges facing the hospital.
According to him, the lack of reliable public electricity has forced the hospital to resort to self-generated power, consuming up to 80,000 litres of diesel monthly to maintain uninterrupted electricity essential for patient care and hospital operations.
“For the past seven years, we’ve had to generate about 95 percent of our power supply internally,” he stated. “Despite receiving just two to three hours of public electricity daily, we ensure a 24-hour power supply because the hospital is fully automated and cannot function otherwise.”
He explained that when the hospital initiated its move towards automation, there were doubts about its feasibility due to Nigeria’s unstable power situation.
“But we didn’t let that stop us,” he said. “We integrated a power backup mechanism into our system and successfully sustained an average of 22 hours of self-generated electricity daily.”
The financial implications of this effort, he noted, have been enormous. “This has significantly affected our finances, but it is a necessary sacrifice to keep the hospital functional and safe for patients,” Dr. Dada added.
Despite the challenges, he said the hospital’s quality of service has drawn increasing attention and recognition. In 2022, the Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency rated FMC Ebute Metta as the most standard-compliant public hospital in Lagos State.
Additionally, he noted that the Bureau of Public Service Reform under the Presidency recently named the facility among the top users of ICT in Nigeria’s public health sector.
Dr. Dada emphasized that uninterrupted power remains non-negotiable in delivering quality healthcare and urged relevant authorities to address the broader power challenges affecting public institutions.