Prof. Hamidu said this during an interview with journalists at his office in Zaria, saying that the provision of energy is one of the biggest challenges suffered by the facility.
According to him, around ₦240 million was paid as an outstanding payment to Kaduna Electric last year, with over ₦200 million accumulated by the end of the year for energy costs.
The CMD revealed that due to the increase in energy tariff, the sum of ₦25 million was paid for the monthly bills and an outstanding bill of ₦75 million to KEDCO.
Given the expenses, he explained that each of the critical departments and unit blocks at the hospital would need to gradually transition to renewable energy sources over time to save the cost of electricity.
He also revealed that all funds in the hospital, including those from patients who pay for services and other consumables have been exhausted while trying to cover the hospital’s energy costs, with nothing left for consumable goods.
He emphasized that this means the departments that generate these funds or procure these consumables will not be able to function.
He used the medium to appeal to the government to address the issue, adding that unless something is done, the quality of services provided will decline.
“And due to the current increase in the energy tariff, last month alone, we paid ₦25 million, but the latest bill brought to us was ₦75 million.”I’m referring to KEDCO alone, with a bill of ₦75 million.”
“Additionally, we spent ₦47 million on diesel last month. So, when you add everything, we’re talking about over ₦100 million per month for energy, which is not sustainable.”
He said despite the challenges faced, the facility will not be increasing its charges for the services rendered to patients.
He explained that increasing the cost of services is not an option as it would stop Patients from coming, and they cannot shut down the hospital.
“We are deeply concerned and don’t know where to get the money. Even if we used all the funds available in the hospital to pay for energy, it wouldn’t be enough.”
“We cannot raise the cost of services or health inquiries due to our current challenges and our location in Zaria, which is a civil service town.
Speaking on the poor State of the facility’s building, he said that the Hospital has been under construction for close to 40 years, and some facilities and buildings were already deteriorating when he took over.
However, he assured that they are doing their best with about 50-60 percent of renovations completed as they plan to rehabilitate the hospital within the next two to three years to ensure a safe environment for service delivery.
“In our 2024 budget, we have allocated about 15 percent to provide renewable energy. For example, the Magnetic resonance imaging(MIR) suite requires a 24-hour power supply, and by the end of the year, we’ll have renewable energy powering one building completely.
“We hope that within a few years, about 30-40 percent of the hospital will be off the grid, reducing our energy costs.
He further explained that they are focusing on ensuring that areas with sensitive machines run on renewable energy which is crucial as power surges damage many machines.
