{"id":3127,"date":"2024-11-12T08:22:24","date_gmt":"2024-11-12T08:22:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beadysword.com.ng\/blog\/?p=3127"},"modified":"2024-11-12T08:22:36","modified_gmt":"2024-11-12T08:22:36","slug":"patients-protest-at-uch-ibadan-as-17-day-power-outage-disrupts-surgeries-lives-lost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beadysword.com.ng\/blog\/2024\/11\/12\/patients-protest-at-uch-ibadan-as-17-day-power-outage-disrupts-surgeries-lives-lost\/","title":{"rendered":"Patients Protest At UCH Ibadan As 17-Day Power Outage Disrupts Surgeries, Lives lost"},"content":{"rendered":"
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According to the UCH management, the hospital\u2019s monthly electricity bill stands at N88 million due to its placement in the highest commercial tariff band.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Patients and their families staged protests on Monday outside the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, expressing frustration over a 17-day power outage that has disrupted vital services, including surgeries, laboratory testing, and other critical operations.<\/p>\n

The power supply was disconnected by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), which claims the hospital owes outstanding payments under its \u201cBand A\u201d tariff structure.<\/p>\n

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According to the UCH management, the hospital\u2019s monthly electricity bill stands at N88 million due to its placement in the highest commercial tariff band.<\/p>\n

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In a video posted by Oyo Affairs on X, a man was seen confronting the hospital management, accusing them of negligence as patients reportedly suffer due to a lack of power and water supply in the hospital.<\/p>\n

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He said, “People are in pain, people are dying in the wards. There’s no electricity, and you\u2019re just sitting there calling yourselves management. If you have issues, lay them on the table; stop letting people die here.<\/p>\n

“What did we do to deserve this? You are so indifferent to the patient’s plight, yet people are dying while you protect your relatives when they come here. You think that’s right?\u201d<\/p>\n

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He continued, shouting, \u201cCMD, thief! The management here is thieves. You\u2019re collecting exorbitant fees from us, raising costs on everything, and yet nothing improves.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Meanwhile, some patients in the ward were seen protesting by banging on metal surfaces, chanting, “Turn on the electricity for us.”<\/p>\n

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One patient shouted, “You give us no electricity, no water. Do you want to kill us? This is supposed to be a hospital!”<\/p>\n

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Another voice was heard saying, “UCH, don\u2019t kill us! Turn on the electricity for us. We have no water or power. Do you want us to die?” The patient urged for immediate improvements, noting that the hospital management\u2019s offices still had power.”<\/p>\n

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Another patient added, “You’re damaging the reputation of UCH, a premier hospital, while patients suffer without water and electricity.”<\/p>\n

In response, a hospital official said that the electricity issue was beyond the hospital’s control, citing high bills from the electricity provider.<\/p>\n

“Did you know IBEDC billed us N88 million in the first week and N99 million in the second week?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s be honest with ourselves,\u201d the official continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ones we should be appealing to are the federal government in Abuja, who promised to cover 50 percent of the electricity costs for all hospitals, including UCH, but haven\u2019t followed through.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response to the protests, UCH management called on the IBEDC and federal government to reconsider the hospital\u2019s tariff band classification, citing the heavy burden it imposed on the facility\u2019s finances and its ability to provide consistent healthcare services.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n