Residents of Ibadan, represented by the Legacy Stars of Ibadan (LSI), have called on the federal government, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Health and Social Welfare Minister Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, to investigate both the current and former administrations of the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan.
In a statement released following their monthly meeting on Sunday, the LSI emphasized the need for a thorough inquiry to address the persistent power outages affecting the teaching hospital. This statement was made available to DAILY POST on Monday.
Historically, UCH has faced significant power supply disruptions in recent months due to outstanding debts owed to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC). The LSI, through President Mogaji Saheed Oyewale and Secretary Barrister Kazeem Oladepo, urged the federal government to look into the management’s handling of the situation.
During their meeting on December 1, 2024, various issues impacting Ibadan and Oyo State were reviewed, with the critical concern of power outages at UCH being a focal point of discussion.
“The hospital’s power supply was interrupted in March and was restored after some intervention. However, it was recently cut once again due to unpaid electricity bills. The lack of reliable power severely hampers essential hospital operations,” their statement highlighted.
They expressed their concern that patients are being denied necessary medical attention, which could negatively impact overall health outcomes. Furthermore, they described the situation as embarrassing and urged immediate action from the federal government.
“UCH, as a tertiary health institution, deserves better. We implore the authorities to prioritize this issue and take the necessary steps to remedy the hospital’s dire circumstances,” the group concluded.
