The University College Hospital in Ibadan has stated that it does not owe the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company N495m, despite rumors.
UCH’s Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Adetuyibi, said this in a statement provided to the News Agency of Nigeria in Ibadan on Wednesday.
NAN reported that IBEDC had disconnected power supply to UCH due to an accumulated bill of N495m, causing power outage at the facility.
Adetuyibi, however, denied that the hospital had an accumulated bill of N495m over the past three years.
She explained that the current UCH administration, led by Prof. Jesse Otegbayo, took office on March 1, 2019, and inherited over N27m as of February 27, 2019, and had been ensuring the monthly payment of bills brought by IBEDC.
She also mentioned that the UCH management had been paying off the backlog of bills inherited from previous administrations.
“This management has held meetings with the IBEDC management on several occasions.
“Additionally, a payment plan to settle the outstanding debt has been presented to both the consultant of IBEDC and the regional head of IBEDC.
“However, this payment plan was rejected by IBEDC, which insisted that a initial payment of N250m should be made within three months.
“The management’s priority is ‘patients’ comfort and staff welfare.’ Therefore, access to power and water supply is crucial for our operations.
“Although we have outstanding bills to settle with IBEDC, the hospital management has been proactive in ensuring our patients have access to adequate medical care at all times,” she said.
Adetuyibi refuted claims that the hospital spends N160 million on diesel monthly, stating that only about N15m to N17m is being spent on diesel per month.
She also stated that according to the hospital’s internal audit department, IBEDC had never provided 24-hour power supply to UCH.
“The idea of patients’ relatives buying sachet water is unfounded. Despite lack of optimal water supply due to power outage, we rely on generators to pump water.
“The hospital has 45 generators, some of which require servicing and replacement,” she said.
Adetuyibi further mentioned that the hospital’s management had installed solar inverters in various areas, including all out-patient clinics, Accident and Emergency Department, Endoscopy Suites, ECG Suites, Staff Clinic, Owena Dialysis Ward, and the Medical Microbiology Department, among others.
“As mentioned earlier, our disagreement with IBEDC is regarding the old bill inherited by the current administration.
“We paid N50 million in January 2024, N55 million in February 2024 and N45 million in March 2024,” she said.
The public relations officer added that IBEDC was demanding payment for the inherited bills, despite the fact that UCH had been settling both the old and current bills.
She stated that the hospital's administration has requested the electricity company multiple times not to charge commercial rates to UCH because the hospital provides social services.
“However, our pleas have not been heard by the company.
“To reduce the impact of power outages, the hospital has established an energy committee.
“The committee is in charge of raising funds for electricity bills and implementing solar-powered energy in other areas of the hospital.
“Also, the energy committee has the responsibility of finding a long-term solution to the energy problem.
“We ask for the assistance of individuals, organizations, and the international community to help the hospital.
“UCH is a national heritage; our shared legacy, and the responsibility of maintaining it rests on all of us,” Adetuyibi said.
NAN
