The Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Metta in Lagos, spends a staggering N20 million every month on electricity but receives only three hours of public power supply daily, the hospital’s outgoing Medical Director, Dr Adedamola Dada, has revealed.
Dr Dada made the shocking disclosure on Saturday, May 17, during a media chat where he spoke about the hospital’s achievements and challenges over the past few years.
According to him, despite the poor power supply, the hospital must run 24 hours a day to meet patients’ needs. To achieve this, FMC Ebute Metta relies heavily on diesel-powered generators, using up 80,000 litres of diesel monthly to generate power.
“We are the only federal public hospital that receives just two to three hours of public electricity daily,” Dr Dada said.
“But we provide 24-hour power because we are automated and can’t function without electricity.”
Dr Dada explained that since 2017, the hospital has been generating about 95 per cent of its electricity by itself to keep operations going. He said electricity is vital for every modern hospital, especially one that uses automated equipment for patient care.
“When we wanted to switch our service to automated, many doubted it would work due to the unstable power supply in the country,” he noted.
“But we didn’t allow that to stop us. We designed our own power system and have been generating 22 hours of electricity daily on our own for the last seven years. Though it has affected our finances badly, it’s necessary for the kind of service we offer.”
He added that despite the cost, the quality of care at FMC Ebute Metta has improved greatly, attracting more patients and winning public praise.
In 2022, the Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency named FMC Ebute Metta the most standard and compliant hospital in Lagos State.
Recently, the Bureau of Public Service Reform under the Presidency also listed the hospital among top performers in the use of ICT in public healthcare.
