Blackout: Mixed reactions as UCH cries out over debt burden
Regarding the present state of affairs at the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, some Nigerians have voiced conflicting opinions.
This is in response to the hospital’s cry for assistance, which it said was overwhelmed by the financial difficulties.
Additionally, it attributed the huge debt load to succeeding administrations, who left N328 million in unpaid electrical bills.
claims that UCH is the nation’s first teaching hospital, having been opened on November 20, 1957.
Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) cut the tertiary health facility off from the national grid on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, leaving it completely black.
The scenario was characterized as concerning by several who spoke with newsmen, some of whom questioned what the hospital was doing with the money being generated daily.
According to a woman from Ibadan, extended power outages were common in UCH.
The middle-aged woman, who gave birth the previous year, described how she hurriedly drove her daughter to a private hospital because the hospital was without power.
“I had a sick baby in September of last year in Lagos, so after 7 days I came to UCH to get treatment for her,” the woman stated. She developed jaundice and required an emergency blood transfusion in addition to being placed under light.
Are you able to accept that there was not even a blue light to place the babies in the ICU? I had to request her prompt discharge after a whole day. I brought her to a private hospital for treatment.
Certain babies were unsalvageable, while others most likely had issues. The fact that they are still having this problem in 2024 saddens me. This is quite awful.
