Parliament urges Health, Energy ministries to address power cuts to health facilities

The Ministries of Health and Energy have been directed by Parliament to liaise on how to find a roadmap to end the disconnection of power to health facilities across the country.

The purpose of this roadmap is to ensure that the facilities are exempted from being disconnected from the national electricity grid.

The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, who gave the directive at the sitting of the House in Accra yesterday said the agreement to be reached should be tabled before Health Committee of the House for consideration and presentation to plenary.

The Committee would be ex­pected to present its report to the House by the second week of the next meeting of Parliament.

This directive follows a state­ment made on the floor by the Member for Tain, Adama Sulemana, who said power to the Tain District Hospital in Nsawkaw has been disconnected by the service provider, the Northern Electricity Company (NEDCo) over a GH¢7 million debt.

According to the Second Deputy Speaker, the “criticality of health facilities” to the citizenry made it “a no-go area” when disconnecting facilities from the national grid.

“Hospitals are critical to the survival of our people and should not suffer power cut no matter what. Today, it is Tain but listening to Members it appears the problem cuts across and we must not allow it,” the Second Deputy Speaker said.

Mr Adama in his statement said the 60-bed facility was first disconnected on November 19, reconnected days later, following the intervention of stakeholders before it was again disconnected on Tuesday, December 12, 2023.

Commenting on the statement, Atta Akyea, Member for Abuakwa South, wondered why the managers of the facility looked on for the debt to hit GH¢7 million.

He urged the electricity distribu­tor to restore power to the facility as they sit to negotiate payment terms to avoid any casualties.

Member for North Tongu, Sam­uel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on his side said district hospitals across the country faced disconnection as the government decided not to take up the bill anymore after paying same over the years.

As a result of that policy shift, Mr Ablakwa said facilities were now shifting the electric­ity bill to patients, citing the Princess Marie Lou­ise Children Hospital here in Accra where ev­ery patient is made to pay GH¢30.

 BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI

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