Electricity supply to the LEKMA Hospital has been restored after it was cut off on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, due to unpaid bills.

The hospital had to rely on its standby generator throughout Wednesday, July 17, 2024, until the intervention of the Member of Parliament, Benjamin Ayiku, led to the restoration of power at the facility.

In March, the Ministry of Health issued a statement to address fears of potential electricity disconnections at 91 health facilities across the country.

Despite these assurances, staff and patients at LEKMA Hospital experienced power cut due to a debt of approximately 3 million cedis.

Although the hospital tried to repay the debt in installments, the Teshie office of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) insisted that the payments were insufficient. 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, and open windows for ventilation.

Electricity was restored on Thursday morning after the MP intervened, engaging in negotiations with the Teshie ECG office.

Mr Ayiku emphasized 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.

Mr Ayiku also urged the hospital’s management to reevaluate the facility’s metering system to reduce 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 said.