COP28: ’40 per cent of PHCs in Nigeria lack access to electricity’

Minister of Health Ali Pate, says about 40 per cent of Primary Health Care centres in Nigeria lack basic access to electricity.

Pate made this statement during the current COP28 Climate Summit, often referred to as the Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP28), which is being held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is also known as the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference.

In a post on his X account on Sunday, Pate quoted research from the Sustainable Energy for all (SDG7BeBold) and USAID Powering Healthcare Roadmap for Nigeria reports, noting that the quality and scope of basic healthcare and social welfare services provided to millions of Nigerians are still being negatively impacted by our primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare facilities’ unreliable energy access.

Speaking about the existence of humanitarian crises linked to climate change that have an impact on health, the minister stated that air pollution from conventional energy sources and cooking is having an increasing negative impact on people’s health, leading to a high death toll and a high burden of disease that could be prevented by switching to clean, zero-emission energy sources.

He claims that these mistakes have made efforts to reform the healthcare system much more difficult.

“At @COP28_UAE’s first ever Climate and Health Ministerial Main event, I shared Nigeria’s priorities, commitments and progress on the climate-health nexus; focused on improving the sustainability of our health system infrastructure and advancing multi-sectoral interventions that mitigate the impact of climate change on population health outcomes.

“The @SEforALLorg and @USAID Powering Healthcare Roadmap for Nigeria estimates that 40% of #PHCs in Nigeria lack access to electricity. The lack of reliable access to energy in our Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Healthcare Facilities continues to undermine the coverage and quality of basic healthcare and social welfare services delivered to millions of people in the country.

“In addition, the existence of climate-linked humanitarian crises which impact health, as well as climate related outbreaks and public health risks complicate efforts to revamp the healthcare system. Air pollution from traditional cooking and energy sources are increasingly affecting the health of our people, with a high burden of disease and deaths that could be avoided by transitioning to zero- emission, clean energy sources.

Recommendations

The minister recommended a sustainable plan that all public tertiary institutions be solarised over a four year period.

He also called for the provision of climate resiliency for the health system in collaboration with all other sectors

“Solarize all public tertiary hospitals in the country (in phases) over a 4-year period through the deployment of large scale solar plants and battery energy storage systems.

“Provide service-specific, clean electrification solutions OR Clean, facility-wide sustainable electrification for thousands of #BHCPF PHCs by 2027 as part of our sector wide approach.

“Build climate resiliency for the health system in collaboration with all other sectors; and strengthen surveillance and early warning systems for health threats and climate-linked threats.

Therefore, he stated that the current administration of President Bola Tinubu is committed to increasing the domestic financing for health including resources to scale up our climate and energy transition interventions for health.

“The Government of Nigeria @NigeriaGov, led by HE Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, @officialABAT, is committed to increasing the domestic financing for health including resources to scale up our climate and energy transition interventions for health.

“We are forging a path to a more sustainable environment, better health and wellbeing for all Nigerians. Strong collaboration with our development partners and friends will be catalytic to achieving these targets. Also, bold leadership, smart and scaled financing, effective governance and accountability will be very critical.