It is not only the transport and the economic sectors that suffer when there is fuel scarcity the health sector is greatly affected too.

Hospital owners and patients who spoke with our correspondent in Lagos on Monday and Tuesday, complained that apart from the increased cost of getting fuel at petrol stations and black markets, the present fuel scarcity may worsen the health  condition of patients.

According to them, 90 per cent of equipment used in clinical and medical diagnosis is powered by electricity.

For the National President, Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, the umbrella body of hospital owners in the country, Dr. Anthony Omolola, many hospitals are having hard times getting electricity to power their equipment.

Omolola told our correspondent on Tuesday that the present situation has not only reduced patient attendance, but it has also frustrated patients’ recovery and management.

He said, “Some patients are finding it difficult to come to the hospital to continue their treatment. Reports getting to us suggest that many hospitals don’t have electricity because they don’t have fuel to power their generators.

“The whole hospital chain depends on constant electricity. A doctor cannot take a complicated delivery at night without electricity, which means if a woman in labour is brought in for surgery, you have to refer her to another hospital where they have electricty.

“It also slows down recovery because when the patient on admission is sweating, losing fluids and getting stressed out, he/she will not recover. It may even lead to more complications. They will get weaker and more feverish.”

Omolola, who is also the Chief Medical Director, St. Raphael Specialist Hospitals, Ikotun, Lagos, said the safety and potency of drugs were often compromised in facilities without regular power supply.

“Drugs, especially vaccines, must stored under a specific temperature for them to be efficient. It means that when there is no electricity to maintain that temperature, the potency is compromised.

“When such drug or vaccine is given to a patient, it is simply useless to the body. So, when a hospital does not have electricity for two days, many drugs are rendered useless,” he noted.

On how the hospital has been coping, Omolola said he had had to store fuel (diesel) since the scarcity started.

To meet with patients’ demands, the Medical Director, Appleyard Medical Centre, Ojo, Lagos, Dr. Jide  Arigbabuwo, said he doubled the amount the hospital spent on diesel and petrol used to power the two generators in his facility.

He said, “Around this Ojo axis, we get petrol for N150 per litre and we have had to buy at N200 per litre from the black market just to maintain our equipment. I normally spend at least N7,000 on diesel and fuel per day. But since the scarcity started, I new spend at least N14,000 per day after queuing at different stations for hours.”

Arigbagbuwo, who  is also the  state Chairman, AGPMPN, expressed concerns that the present situation may worsen the plight of patients.

He said,“When we were running on generator prior to fuel scarcity, patients were already complaining. Many could not afford to pay hospital bills then, not to talk of now. They won’t even bother to come, if they come, they are coming to fight.

“It is frustrating. We spend a very significant amount of money that should ordinarily be used to buy equipment on fuel and pay exorbitant taxes. Let us not forget that banks run away from giving hospital loans, and the government is not helping matters.

“The hospital alone cannot shoulder all these extra costs.”