The University College Hospital in Ibadan, Oyo State, has revealed that it owes the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company up to N495 million, which resulted in the teaching hospital being disconnected from public power supply.
Doctors, nurses, and other hospital workers refused to work beyond 4 p.m. unless the electricity was restored.
In a conversation with reporters on Tuesday, the UCH Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Adetuyibi, admitted that the hospital's power debt exceeded N400 million, contrary to her initial claims.
Recall that the IBEDC disconnected the UCH on March 19, for the third time in less than two months.
Giving reasons for the disconnection, the Ibadan DisCo claimed that it disconnected the hospital after failed attempts to communicate with the hospital management over the N495 million debt, which has persisted for over six years.
However, in an earlier report, the UCH spokesperson denied owing N495m, stating that the present UCH administration, led by Prof. Jesse Otegbayo, took over office on March 1, 2019, and inherited more than N27m as of February 27, 2019. She went on to say that it had since ensured the monthly payment of bills brought by IBEDC.
However, when Adetuyibi was contacted on Tuesday that the IBEDC spokeswoman, Busolami Tunwase, had insisted on the debt being N495 million, she admitted that she had made a mistake while writing her initial rejoinder. Adetuyibi stated that the hospital required assistance in settling the debt and was soliciting for funds.
“The truth of the matter is that we owe IBEDC and we need help. Help is the main thing. We are soliciting for funds; she said.
Meanwhile, hospital workers have embarked on what they call "down-scaling," working from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day until electricity was restored. They also threatened a seven-day strike if the hospital was not reconnected by Tuesday, April 9.
