Electricity supply to the LEKMA Hospital has been restored after it was cut off on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, due to unpaid bills.
The situation forced the hospital to rely on its standby generator for the whole of Wednesday, July 17, 2024, but the intervention of the local Member of Parliament led to the restoration of power at the health facility.
This incident has highlighted concerns about funding for hospitals to cover their utility costs. In March, the Ministry of Health issued a statement to assuage fears about potential electricity disconnections at 91 health facilities across the country.
Despite this, staff and patients at LEKMA Hospital faced their worst fears when the power supply was disconnected due to a debt of approximately 3 million cedis.
Although the hospital attempted to repay the debt in instalments, the Teshie office of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) insisted that the payments fell short of the required amount. The power disconnection nearly halted hospital operations, posing a significant threat to patient care.
Sources at the hospital revealed that relying on the generator was unsustainable, costing over 20,000 cedis a day and rapidly depleting the hospital’s resources. Staff were advised to reduce power usage in non-essential areas, with windows opened for ventilation.
Electricity was restored on Thursday morning after MP Benjamin Ayiku intervened, engaging in negotiations with the Teshie ECG office. Ayiku explained that he pleaded for power restoration, emphasizing the critical nature of the situation for human lives.
“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.
Ayiku also urged the hospital’s management to reevaluate the facility’s metering system to reduce the 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 added.
The LEKMA Hospital, built by the Chinese Government in 2010 as a symbol of friendship between the two countries, serves residents within the Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal District.
