IBEDC Restores Power to UCH After 16-Day Blackout

University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, Oyo State, has finally regained electricity after enduring a 16-day blackout due to a disconnection by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).  The disconnection was a result of an outstanding debt amounting to N495 million, accumulated over six years. The power restoration, which occurred around 6:30 pm on Thursday, came after the hospital management took steps to address the issue.  Part of the debt, totaling N80 million, was paid, and an agreement was reached with IBEDC on a repayment plan for the remaining amount. During the blackout period, the hospital faced significant challenges, with workers resorting to rechargeable lamps to attend to patients.  Many wards operated at minimal capacity, leading to patient discharges, while critical cases were still admitted, albeit with difficulties. In response to the outage, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) had previously announced limited working hours for staff, citing the lack of electricity as a major hindrance to their duties.  However, with power now restored, normal operations are expected to resume fully.

Resident doctors in UCH Begin strike over alleged assault

Following an alleged assault on a resident doctor by relatives of a patient, resident doctors under the auspices of Association of Resident Doctors, ARD, at the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan in Oyo State have commenced a three-day strike. ARD President, Dr. John Oladapo told newsmen on Thursday that the doctors are demanding a public apology from the people who assaulted their member, inflicting injuries on him on Sunday. He called on the hospital to improve its security architecture to avoid future occurrences in the hospital. “On Sunday, one of our members was the target of a deliberate, premeditated, planned rage and furious assault by a patient’s relation. “The doctor was seeing a known Sickle Cell patient in a painful crisis at the Emergency Department when the two men accosted him in the consulting room and started beating him up. “The mother of the patient being seen who tried to intervene was also beaten up in this assault. In the doctor’s attempt to escape, the men chased him down and beat him up. “The security officers of the hospital intervened and rescued our member, but not before he sustained injuries as well as mental health and esteem”.