By Oluseye Ojo
Following a 17-day lack of power and water supplies to the foremost teaching hosiptal in Nigeria, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State, in-patients and families receiving medical attention in the facility have been staging daily protest.
Daily Sun can report that the prolonged blackout in UCH is the second within the past eight months. The first occurred between March and April when the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) disconnected power supply to UCH for more than two weeks over debt.
Findings also revealed that IBEDC disconnected power supply to UCH about two weeks ago over unsettled bills of power consumed within the facility.
As gathered, the blackout has cast a shadow over the hospital’s essential healthcare services, prompting cries for immediate action by the UCH management and the Federal Government.
The protesting patients were seen in a video clip that went viral on social media, carrying placards and chanting: “UCH, don’t kill us! We want light,””There is no light.” “There is no water.” “There is terrible heat.” “Do you watch to kill us?” as well as “Don’t kill UCH.”
The protesters demanded an urgent intervention to restore the vital electricity that supports life-saving surgeries and diagnostic tests. It was stated that some of the patients resorted to using torchlight on their phones and lamps for illumination at night.
In the video clip, a man, suspected to be an official of the teaching hospital was seen, calming down the protesters. In the process, he told them that UCH has been receiving a monthly bill of N99million from the electricity distribution company. He added that if the UCH would charge based on the utility bill, each in-patient would pay nothing less than N5,000 per night in the facility.
When contacted for comment on the situation, the public relations officer of the UCH, Mrs Obafunmilayo Adetuyibi, said the management of the hospital would provide detailed answers to all questions on the matter soon.
But sources within the hospital stated that UCH is on “Band A” in the electricity tariff structure. They added that there was no way the hospital could cope with money power bill of N80 million to N99 million. They lamented that the cost of fuelling generators in the hospital has become too expensive.
Spokesperson of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), Busolami Tunwase, confirmed that the IBEDC cut power supply to UCH based on unsettled bills.