By By Ademola Ajao
THE Country Director of NEST360, Dr Opeyemi Odedere, has affirmed that the backbone of quality healthcare is a reliable power supply.
Dr Odedere made the assertion on Monday at Adeoyo Maternity Teaching Hospital while delivering his speech at the commissioning of solar inverter systems donated to Adeoyo Maternity Teaching Hospital and Oni Memorial Children’s Hospital, Ibadan.
He explained that the primary purpose of the donation was to ensure that the lives of newborn babies are adequately protected — not only to treat them for conditions they may have, but also to ensure their survival.
According to him, “Today’s donation is not just an infrastructural upgrade; it is, essentially, a life-saving investment.
“It is a combined 30-kilowatt inverter system for both Adeoyo Maternity Teaching Hospital and Oni Memorial Children’s Hospital.
“The reason why it is key is basically because we know that reliable power supply is the backbone of quality healthcare, and the reason we say this is very clear. To provide quality healthcare, certain equipment is required, especially for our vulnerable babies.
“Uninterrupted power supply is that factor that determines whether we lose a baby or the baby survives.
“This is important, and it is one of the reasons NEST360, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Hospital Management Board, came together with the idea of sustaining services in the newborn units of this hospital and Oni Memorial.
“The good thing is that it is not just about NEST360. Yes, the funding came from NEST360, but the truth is that without the leadership of the Ministry of Health and the Hospital Management Board providing the enabling environment for us to come in and offer support, this would not have happened.
“So, we appreciate your leadership and guidance for making this possible. We look forward to better collaboration, and we hope that with time, we will be able to do even more than what we have done today.”
The Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Oluwaserimi Adejumo, described the initiative as “mind-blowing”, noting that the organisation had identified a critical need in the area of power supply and offered meaningful partnership.
In her words, “Our neonates can now have 24/7 electricity for all the gadgets and equipment required for their care.
“So, even if we have a premature birth today, we now have the equipment we need, and we are assured that our incubators and all other essential devices will function until the babies are matured enough to be discharged home.
“It is humanitarian because we know that the government cannot do it alone. The government is trying, but we need support from organisations and individuals to come to our aid.”
Dr Adejumo noted that Adeoyo Maternity Teaching Hospital, which will be 100 years old in 2027, has produced countless citizens and remains a historic institution. “This is really good for us and for our principal, the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Engineer Oluseyi Makinde,” she added.
“So our children will no longer die unnecessarily because we now have what we need to care for them, even when they are born prematurely.”
Speaking on maintenance of the facility, the Chairman of the Oyo State Hospital Management Board, Dr Akin Fagbemi, assured that maintenance and biomedical engineers would receive continuous training to ensure the facilities have a long lifespan.
He emphasised that this was not the first time NEST360 had supported the state. “They believe in us, and we have been maintaining their interventions. We will continue to do so,” he said.
Dr Fagbemi also appreciated NEST360 and Governor Oluseyi Makinde for recruiting staff and professionals across the state’s health facilities.
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