In the dim, overheated hallways of a rural hospital in Nigeria, a midwife struggles to keep a newborn warm using nothing but a towel and body heat. The incubator is silent—power’s out again. There’s no emergency light, no air circulation, and no functioning sterilizer. The generator ran out of fuel hours ago. In this moment, a lack of electricity has turned a preventable complication into a life-threatening crisis.
This is not an isolated event. It’s a daily reality for thousands of healthcare workers and patients in Nigeria and across much of the Global South.
The Hidden Emergency in Maternal Health
Electricity is the invisible backbone of safe maternal care. It powers essential equipment—incubators, oxygen concentrators, fetal monitors, ultrasound machines—and ensures that childbirth, whether routine or high-risk, is managed with safety and dignity.
Yet in Nigeria, an estimated 94% of private health facilities depend on the national grid, which is both erratic and insufficient. Two-thirds must rely on petrol or diesel generators, and nearly half report that the rising cost of fuel has forced them to compromise the quality of care they provide.
When electricity fails in maternity wards, it’s not just the lights that go out—it’s hope, safety, and sometimes life itself.
Real Lives, Real Losses
Stories from the field underscore the human cost. In facilities where caesarean sections are delayed due to power outages, or where newborns die because warmers aren’t functioning, the tragedy is compounded by the fact that it is avoidable. No woman should fear giving birth simply because the hospital cannot guarantee electricity.
Policy Is Catching Up. Will Implementation?
Nigeria’s Electricity Act 2023 and the Primary Health Care Revitalisation Agenda (2023–2030) lay the groundwork for change. They prioritize energy access and infrastructure upgrades in the health sector.
But policies alone won’t generate power. What’s needed is:
- Clear, accountable timelines for implementation
- Funding mechanisms and incentives to scale up solar deployment
- Robust public–private partnerships that combine innovation with reach
A Global Wake-Up Call
This is not just Nigeria’s challenge. According to WHO data, 60% of health facilities in low- and middle-income countries lack reliable electricity. This shortfall is a major barrier to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3.1, which aims to reduce global maternal mortality to fewer than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.
Energy poverty in healthcare is a global equity issue. Without reliable power, even the most skilled healthcare workers are left powerless—literally and figuratively.
The Way Forward
Investing in solar energy for healthcare isn’t just smart policy—it’s a moral imperative. Every hospital that gains reliable, sustainable power is a step closer to safer births, healthier communities, and stronger health systems.
As we reflect on the stories of women and newborns lost to something as preventable as a blackout, the message is clear: the time to act is now. The technology exists. The need is urgent. What remains is the collective will to make reliable electricity—and with it, dignified care—a universal right.
Check out the full article here: https://sun-connect.org/lights-out-lives-lost-the-human-cost-of-hospital-blackouts-on-maternal-health/