Nigeria’s healthcare facilities are modernising, patient volumes are rising, diagnostics are growing more sophisticated, and digital technologies, from hospital information systems to remote consultations, are becoming standard features of medical care.
But one foundational variable continues to determine the quality, speed, and reliability of healthcare delivery: power.
Electricity is not a convenience in healthcare; it is a life-critical infrastructure.
From neonatal incubators and surgical theatres to CT scanners, oxygen plants, vaccine freezers, dialysis units, and electronic medical records, every component of modern care depends on stable energy.
Yet, across the country, hospitals face daily power uncertainty: outages that delay surgeries, voltage fluctuations that damage multimillion-naira equipment, and escalating diesel costs that strain already thin budgets.
This is precisely where natural gas is redefining what healthcare facilities can achieve.
Why Power Reliability Is the Backbone of Modern Healthcare
To understand the urgency, it is important to recognize the role energy plays across every level of hospital operations:
1. Critical Care Equipment Requires Uninterrupted Power
Life-support systems, ventilators, oxygen concentrators, suction machines, infusion pumps, these cannot tolerate a second of downtime. A power interruption during surgery or intensive care can be catastrophic.
2. Advanced Diagnostics Demand Clean, Stable Energy
CT scanners, MRIs, X-ray machines, mammography systems, endoscopy suites, and laboratory analyzers all depend on stable frequency and voltage. Diesel generators produce voltage fluctuations that shorten equipment lifespan and increase maintenance costs.
3. Digital Healthcare Runs on Electricity
Electronic medical records, telemedicine platforms, billing systems, pharmacy management software, and cloud-based storage require reliable 24/7 uptime. A power failure means lost data, cancelled consultations, and administrative bottlenecks.
4. Public Health Depends on Cold-Chain Reliability
Vaccines, blood banks, medications, and biological samples are highly temperature sensitive. Cold-chain breaches caused by power failure can lead to wastage, monetary loss, and compromised public health outcomes.
5. Hospital Operations Are Energy-Intensive
Laundry, sterilisation units, HVAC systems, elevators, lighting, water pumps, and security infrastructure consume enormous amounts of power daily.
The Limitations of Diesel for Healthcare Facilities
Diesel has traditionally powered most hospitals, but the weaknesses are now impossible to ignore:
• Rising and unpredictable costs
• High operational expenditure
• Pollution and public health risks
• Noise that disrupts patient recovery
• Equipment damage
• Logistical headaches
Why Gas-to-Power Is the Healthcare Sector’s Most Reliable Energy Solution
1. True 24/7 reliability
2. Cleaner, healthier operation
3. Lower lifetime energy costs
4. Better protection for medical equipment
5. Ideal for oxygen plant co-location
6. Scalable for future expansion
7. Supports digital healthcare transformation
Case Study: How Gas Can Save a Medium-Sized Healthcare Facility ₦48 Million Monthly
To understand the true financial and clinical impact of switching from diesel to LPG, we ran a detailed case study on a typical medium-sized Nigerian healthcare facility. Our objective was to quantify how much a healthcare facility could save and what those savings could unlock in terms of patient care, clinical equipment, infrastructure, and operational reliability.
Using standard engineering assumptions and realistic operating conditions, the financial and technical implications of the switch are examined in detail.
The hospital operates two 500 kVA generators for an average of 10 hours daily, powering critical units such as ICU, surgical theatres, neonatal care, diagnostics, laboratories, cold-chain, and digital systems. The results were decisive: switching from diesel to LPG could save the hospital more than ₦48 million every month.
What follows is a breakdown of this analysis from fuel consumption and cost differences to the types of medical equipment the hospital could reinvest in, and how quickly the switch can pay for itself.
Hospital Profile and Baseline Energy Conditions
– Generators: 2 × 500 kVA
– Runtime: 10 hours/day
– Critical Loads: ICU, theatres, NICU, diagnostics, cold-chain, IT systems.
Under these conditions, diesel generation is one of the hospital’s largest recurring expenditures.
Current Diesel Consumption and Cost Burden
Each 500 kVA generator consumes approximately 85 litres/hour.
Monthly Diesel Consumption:
85 L/hr × 10 hrs/day × 2 gens × 30 days = 51,000 litres/month.
Monthly Diesel Cost:
51,000 L × ₦1,200/L = ₦61.2 million per month.
Projected LPG Consumption and Cost
Using LPG-based generation:
– LPG consumption: 50 litres/hour per generator
– LPG price: ₦433.67/litre (given that ₦850/kg ÷ 1.96 L/kg)
Monthly LPG Consumption:
50 L/hr × 10 hrs/day × 2 gens × 30 days = 30,000 litres/month.
Monthly LPG Cost:
30,000 L × ₦433.67 = ₦13.01 million per month.
Monthly & Annual Savings
Fuel Cost Comparison:
• Diesel (51,000 L × ₦1,200) = ₦61.20M
• LPG (30,000 L × ₦433.67) = ₦13.01M
Therefore, the healthcare facility will experience an energy expenditure of 48 million naira less compared to running on diesel and an average annual cost savings of 578 million naira.
Equipment the Hospital Can Now Afford
With ₦48.19M/month savings, the hospital can fund major upgrades:
• PSA Oxygen Plant
• CT Scanner
• Digital X-Rays
• ICU Expansion
• EMR/HIMS/PACS
Additionally, the hospital can fully modernize its operating theatre by acquiring a complete anesthesia workstation, surgical lighting, theatre tables, monitors, pumps, and airflow/UPS systems. The hospital can install a full cold-chain system, including blood bank refrigerators, vaccine freezers, ULT freezers, lab refrigerators, pharmacy cold rooms, and backup UPS protection all within the first 1–2 months of savings.
Payback Period for Switching to Gas
One of the most compelling findings from the case study is how quickly the transition to LPG pays for itself. Because the hospital’s monthly savings are substantial, the investment required to complete the switch, whether through converting existing diesel generators or adopting dedicated gas-powered generators is recovered in a remarkably short time.
In the conversion scenario, where the hospital chooses to replace their generators entirely with dedicated LPG units, the payback timeline remains highly attractive. The operational savings generated by the switch are strong enough to offset the investment far faster than what is typical for major infrastructure upgrades in the healthcare sector. Rather than waiting years to see financial benefit as is common with medical equipment or facility investments,hospitals begin to reap measurable returns within a singleyearly budget cycle.
In practical terms, this means the transition is a financial strategy. Hospitals immediately free up recurring capital that can be redirected toward modern clinical equipment, improved diagnostics, additional ICU capacity, and digital transformation. The transition strengthens reliability, reduces risk, and enhances the hospital’s ability to plan, grow, and invest without placing long-term strain on its finances.
How Gasavant Africa Enables Healthcare Facilities to Operate at World-Class Standards
• End-to-end assessment and system design
• High-efficiency gas generators and hybrid systems
• Gas supply assurance
• Safety-first installation standards
• Long-term O&M support
• Tailored financing or phased deployment
A Look Ahead: Gas-Powered Healthcare as a Catalyst for National Development
Gas provides a pathway to:
• Better-quality medical services nationwide
• Lower mortality rates
• Stronger medical tourism potential
• Digital integration and smarter hospital management
• More sustainable operations
Healthcare cannot thrive on unreliable power. Lives are at stake every minute, and operational excellence begins with energy stability.
Gas-to-Power offer hospitals a cleaner, more cost-efficient, and more reliable energy foundation, enabling them to deliver the quality of care patients deserve.
At Gasavant Africa, we are committed to powering the next generation of healthcare excellence with solutions designed for reliability, efficiency, and long-term sustainability.
Your hospital’s next level of performance starts with energy stability.
Connect with us at connect@gasavant-africa.com to explore tailored gas solutions for sustainable healthcare operations.