The Nigerian Institute of Medical Analysis (NIMR), certainly one of Nigeria’s foremost analysis establishments, is grappling with a possible energy outage because of an unpaid electrical energy invoice of ₦38 million.
That is even because the institute, which performs an important position in advancing medical science and combating illnesses, is closely reliant on overseas donors for 95 per cent of its funding, elevating considerations concerning the sustainability of its operations.
The director-general and chief government officer of NMRI, Professor John Oladapo Obafunwa, raised the alarm throughout a press briefing on in Lagos in Lagos.
The DG disclosed that the electrical energy provider, Eko Electrical energy Distribution Firm (EKEDC), has issued repeated warnings of imminent disconnection because of the excellent debt. This, he mentioned, posed a major risk to ongoing analysis actions and important operations at NIMR.
“After I assumed workplace, I inherited a backlog of about ₦38 million in electrical energy debt. Whereas we’ve managed to pay subsequent payments with the assistance of overseas donors, this lingering debt stays a problem. The dearth of a practical electrical energy meter compounds the problem, regardless of a number of appeals to EKEDC,” Obafunwa acknowledged.
He additional emphasised that NIMR’s analysis actions rely closely on uninterrupted energy provide, because the institute develops diagnostic kits for illnesses equivalent to COVID-19, hepatitis B and C, HIV, and monkeypox.
Nevertheless, 95 per cent of the institute’s funding comes from worldwide donors just like the WHO, Invoice and Melinda Gates Basis, and different world companions, leaving little room for addressing native well being priorities.
The DG referred to as for elevated home funding to assist analysis into urgent well being challenges in Nigeria, together with non-communicable illnesses like hypertension, diabetes, and continual renal circumstances. “We have to deal with well being points particular to Nigerians, together with genetic predispositions to sure illnesses and the affect of the environment on well being outcomes,” he mentioned.
Obafunwa additionally appealed for the inclusion of medical analysis institutes like NIMR within the federal authorities’s 50 p.c electrical energy rebate at present offered to hospitals and universities. “Analysis institutes require energy simply as a lot as hospitals. With out electrical energy, our work stalls, affecting not solely our researchers however the well being outcomes of the whole nation,” he added.
The institute can also be looking for partnerships with personal sector buyers to commercialize its diagnostic instruments, scale back dependence on imports, and preserve overseas trade, the DG confused, whereas calling for the necessity for a recalibration of funding sources to prioritize native analysis that aligns with Nigeria’s distinctive well being challenges.
