Why LUTH Invests in Renewable Energy – CMD

Sodiq Ojuroungbe

The Chief Medical Director of Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo, says the hospital is embracing renewable energy as a sustainable solution to its energy needs.

Adeyemo, a professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery, revealed that the university hospital is taking proactive measures to save energy and reduce waste, adding that 20 percent of the institution’s annual budget will now be allocated to investing in renewable energy.

The announcement comes in response to rising electricity rates and to address power shortages at the main teaching hospital.

In recent months, the hospital has faced unprecedented electricity bills, with the cost rising from N69 million in March to N252 million in April.

The situation worsened further in July, when Eko Electricity Distribution Company cut off electricity supplies for eight days, causing outages in many areas of the hospital.

Speaking exclusively to PUNCH Healthwise, the CMD said that LUTH is taking proactive measures to manage energy consumption.

Recognizing the critical role of reliable power supply in maintaining healthcare standards, Adeyemo said the hospital had already reduced its electricity consumption by 25-30 percent through energy conservation initiatives.

The renowned oral and maxillofacial surgeon added that all new facilities at LUTH and its three campuses will integrate renewable energy solutions to support the hospital’s operations.

According to Adeyemo, the hospital had organized citizen assemblies to raise awareness about the importance of energy conservation.

The don further said, “Now, we have to manage energy in terms of energy conservation. We are doing a lot of that. We have reduced electricity consumption by maybe 25 to 30 percent. And that will be reflected in the bill.

“For me, as the Chief Medical Director of LUTH, going forward, even if 10 or 20 percent of my budget every year will be invested in renewable energy. So at the end of the day, we will cover all parts of the expenses.

“We have also decided that no new facility in LUTH or any of our three campuses will be commissioned without incorporating renewable energy, because that is the direction we need to go.

“If you look at energy consumption and electricity, there are some parts of the hospital that use other sources of energy, and this is the purpose of supplementing public energy with renewable energy. Sometimes they cut off the light for one reason or another. When we don’t have light, what will we do? In the sense that renewable energy will support us.

“Some parts of hospitals must not be without power. Places like the operating room where we operate on patients; the intensive care unit where we care for our critically ill patients; the neonatal units and several other parts of the hospital.

“You know, we also have the largest cancer center in Nigeria and West Africa. The machines that are there cannot be turned off for 1 second, so we need constant electricity.”

However, CMD LUTH commended the federal government and the Energy Minister for their support, noting that recent efforts to address the energy crisis included the allocation of funds for renewable energy in the 2024 budget.

He expressed optimism that this initiative will extend to the 2025 budget and beyond.

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