PPPs, Tax Incentives Crucial for Sustainable Health Facilities — Dr. Eyo

By David Odama

The Chief Executive Officer of the Excellence Community Education Welfare Scheme (ECEWS), Dr. Andy Eyo, has emphasized the importance of strengthening Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) and adopting innovative tax models to ensure reliable power supply and the long-term sustainability of Nigeria’s health facilities.

Speaking as a panelist at the First National Stakeholders’ Dialogue on Power in the Health Sector, held in Abuja, Dr. Eyo noted that government alone cannot meet the infrastructure, energy, and technology demands required to keep hospitals and primary health centres functioning optimally.

He stressed that collaboration with the private sector, backed by appropriate tax incentives, will make health facilities more resilient.

“We need to develop models that allow private companies to support and maintain facilities, provided the right tax incentives are in place. The new tax framework presents an opportunity to channel private resources toward public benefit,” Dr. Eyo stated.

Highlighting the heavy costs of powering health institutions, he revealed that some facilities consume as much as 5.8 megawatts of electricity, requiring investments worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. “Government cannot bear this responsibility alone. That is why we must leverage PPPs and sustainable industry models,” he added.

Dr. Eyo also underscored the importance of integration, citing examples where central laboratories support smaller labs through shared resources and practices. According to him, joint systems expand coverage, cut costs, and promote sustainability.

He further emphasized that dependable electricity is critical to running advanced health technologies such as MRI machines and electronic medical records (EMRs). “Power should never be a barrier to diagnostic or treatment services. Facilities must be able to share resources to ease the burden,” he remarked.

On solutions, Dr. Eyo outlined three categories of power models, highlighting solar energy as increasingly viable. However, he cautioned that sustainable financing and private sector participation are essential to scale such systems.

The ECEWS chief added that partnerships should extend beyond tertiary hospitals to include Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and community-based facilities. He urged Nigeria to learn from models in countries like the United States, which directly support community health systems.

Dr. Eyo also identified opportunities for telecom and infrastructure companies to align their existing power systems with health facilities to create mutual benefits. “Communities and leaders must recognize the value of these partnerships and adopt them,” he concluded.

The two-day dialogue, organized by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in collaboration with the Ministry of Power, brought together stakeholders from government, the private sector, and development partners to tackle Nigeria’s persistent power challenges in the health sector.