Malik Yahya/
Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) has confirmed the death of three patients in its Intensive Care Unit (ICU) following the disconnection of electricity supply to the facility by the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) over unpaid bills.
Spokesperson for the hospital, Hauwa Inuwa Dutse, said the incident occurred while four patients were on life-support machines.
According to her, only one survived after power was eventually restored. “It is true that three of our patients on ventilatory support died when the supply was interrupted. This is a very tragic development for us,” she said.
The disconnection followed a lingering debt of N949.88 million owed by the hospital as of the end of August, alongside an August bill of N108.95 million. KEDCO had earlier given the institution a 10-day ultimatum to settle the debt or face disconnection.
KEDCO, however, denied responsibility for the deaths, insisting that electricity was restored before the announcement of the fatalities.
In a statement, the company explained that the action was taken due to years of unpaid bills and complications arising from the hospital’s refusal to separate its supply lines from residential quarters.
“While we sympathise with the families of the deceased, we must clarify that our actions were within the regulatory framework. The hospital enjoys supply from a priority feeder, but the debt burden has become unsustainable,” the company said.
The incident has triggered outrage across Kano and beyond, with many questioning the morality of cutting power to a hospital providing critical health services.
Public health expert, Dr. Kabiru Musa, described the development as “a failure of governance and compassion.”
He added, “Hospitals should never be subjected to disconnection, no matter the debt. Alternative measures should have been considered. Patients’ lives should not be used as collateral in debt disputes.”
Civil society groups have also called for urgent government intervention to ensure that healthcare facilities are exempted from power cuts.
“This is a wake-up call to put in place a national policy guaranteeing uninterrupted electricity to hospitals,” said Amina Abubakar of the Health Rights Initiative.
Following negotiations involving the hospital management, KEDCO, and security agencies, power supply was eventually restored to the hospital.
However, the deaths have intensified calls for accountability and a review of electricity supply protocols to essential services in Nigeria.
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