Electricity supply to LEKMA Hospital has been reinstated following a cut-off on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, due to unpaid bills.
The hospital had been relying on its backup generator throughout Wednesday, July 17, 2024, until Member of Parliament Benjamin Ayiku stepped in to resolve the issue and restore power.
In March, the Ministry of Health had assured the public that 91 health facilities, including LEKMA Hospital, were safe from electricity disconnections.
However, despite the assurances, the hospital faced a power cut due to an outstanding debt of approximately 3 million cedis.
While the hospital attempted to settle the debt through installments, the Teshie office of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) deemed these payments insufficient.
The disconnection threatened to halt hospital operations and compromise patient care.
The hospital’s reliance on the generator, costing over 20,000 cedis daily, was not viable in the long run and rapidly drained the hospital’s funds. Staff were instructed to minimize power usage and increase ventilation by opening windows.
Electricity was restored on Thursday morning after MP Ayiku engaged in negotiations with the Teshie ECG office, highlighting the urgency of the situation for patient care.
Mr. Ayiku underscored the critical nature of the issue, emphasizing the importance of uninterrupted power supply for the hospital’s operations.
“We were there about for 30mins, and we were told they were not going to reconnect until they paid. We were told there owed about 3million Ghana cedis.”
“After my intervention with the manager, he even told me it’s beyond him, so he called his regional director and he said that is their policy and I told him this is about human lives and if someone dies, we can’t do anything about it. I even knelt down, It was very critical”, he added.
Mr. Ayiku also urged the hospital’s management to reassess the facility’s metering system in order to mitigate high electricity costs.
“Even for the monthly bills, they struggle to pay. They should get a dedicated fund to manage the debt while concentrating on current bills. Separating meters will help manage the costs,” he said.