By Atoyebi Nike
Private healthcare providers in Lagos have raised alarm over soaring electricity and fuel bills, warning that energy costs now account for about 40 per cent of their operating expenses.
The Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN), Lagos chapter, said the rising bills were crippling hospitals and threatening patient care.
“Our energy cost alone takes about 40 per cent of our health costs, not salaries, not taxes,” Chairman Jonathan Esegine said on Monday while announcing the association’s Annual General and Scientific Conference.
He recounted running a generator overnight to save a pregnant woman with complications, spending heavily on diesel at ₦1,200 per litre, only for the patient to be unable to pay.
Esegine lamented multiple taxes and lack of support for private doctors, who he said cater to more than 70 per cent of patients in Lagos, often during emergencies when public hospitals are unavailable.
Local Organising Committee Chairman Tunji Akintade added that high energy costs were discouraging private investment in new hospitals. He called for electricity subsidies, digital health platforms, and a more supportive regulatory environment.
Other AGPMPN leaders criticised the government for neglecting local hospitals while politicians rely on foreign care and for implementing what they described as an unrealistic health insurance scheme.
The association’s scientific conference, themed “Building Resilient Private Health Systems in Lagos State”, will hold on September 10-11 at the Welcome Event Centre, Lagos, and will feature free glaucoma screening and discussions on brain drain, insurance reform, and survival strategies for private hospitals.
