Following the persistent power crisis bedeviling the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State, families of patients on admission in the tertiary medical facility have resorted to bringing their power generators to the hospital.
UCH has been faced with incessant power failure resulting from humongous electricity bill owed the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), a development has led to the disconnection of power supply to the hospital by the DisCo since October 26, 2024.
Recently, medical students of the University of Ibadan (UI) hit the streets to protest power outage in the renowned health facility, calling on the federal government to find a lasting solution to the menace.
However, in order to guarantee medical attention for their loved ones, families whose patients are on admission in UCH have chosen to bring their generators and solar inverters to power the hospital’s equipment to aid medical care.
This is as critical medical services have been disrupted due to unavailable power supply which now forced patients and their families to provide personal power sources to ensure continuation of life-saving treatments.
Responding to the situation at the UCH, the Oyo State Government while acknowledging the plight of the health institution in a post on X, disclosed its plan to connect the teaching hospital to its recently commissioned Independent Power Plant.
“The Oyo State Government is aware of the power supply challenges at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. Although the facility is managed by the federal government, the OYSG plans to connect UCH to the State’s Independent Power Plant (IPP) as a medium-term solution,” the state government said in the post.
While the Oyo State Government’s intervention offers hope, patients and medical professionals at UCH continue to struggle with the impact of the ongoing blackout.
Stakeholders in the health sector have consistently clamoured for a special status for medical institutions across the country to be considered for a subsidised electricity bill for the purpose of saving lives.