By Ola Kay
The President of Save A Life Foundation, Dr Richard Okoye, has expressed a deep concern over huge electricity bill handed his Rivers State based hospital by the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution, PHED on his Rivers State hospital.
Okoye, in a recent viral video clip had lamented that his electricity bill increased to N25,300,000 after his facility was classified under the controversial Band A category.
Recall that, on April 3, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission approved an increase in electricity tariff for customers under the Band A (20 hours of electricity supply daily) classification. In a reaction, the Labour unions, (NlLC/TUC) had on the 2024 Workers’ Day celebration called on the electricity price regulators in the country to revert to the old tariffs based on the recent astronomical tarrif increase carried out amidst epileptic power, poor power infrastructure and rising cost of living in the country.
Earlier, the Vice Chairman, NERC, Musliu Oseni, argued that increase will see the customers paying N225 kilowatt per hour from the current N66. He said that electricity customers in Band A represent 15 percent of the country’s 12 million electricity customers.
But, the popular Save a Live Doctor, described the Band A tariff as ‘epidemic’ and warn that if case is not taken, decision to increase the band’s tariff to N225 kilowatt per hour from the current N66 would destroy the healthcare system of the country, as it is capable of increasing hospital bills and other medical services in the country.
Dr. Okoye emphasized that, hospitals should not be seen as business centers , just as it’s main focus remains to render essential services.
“By reason of us (the hospital) being in band A, our monthly power bill is now shooting up to N25,300,000. That’s crazy; the hospitals are not business centres but only render essential services to society.
“This Band A tariff epidemic is bound to destroy the country’s healthcare system, he explained
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