On Monday, patients and their families staged a protest outside the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, expressing outrage over a 17-day power outage that has disrupted critical services, including surgeries, laboratory testing, and other essential operations. The outage was triggered by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), which disconnected power supply, citing unpaid debts linked to the hospital’s “Band A” commercial tariff.
According to UCH management, the hospital faces a monthly electricity bill of N88 million due to its classification in the highest commercial tariff band. The high costs have left the hospital struggling to keep up with payments, leading to the current crisis.
A video shared by Oyo Affairs on social media platform X captured the frustration of patients and their families. In the video, a man was seen confronting hospital officials, accusing them of negligence and indifference as patients reportedly endured severe discomfort due to the lack of electricity and water. “People are in pain, people are dying in the wards. There’s no electricity, and you’re just sitting there calling yourselves management. If you have issues, lay them on the table; stop letting people die here,” he said.
The man continued his outburst, calling the hospital’s Chief Medical Director (CMD) a “thief,” and accusing the management of exploiting patients with high fees while failing to provide basic services. He shouted, “You’re collecting exorbitant fees from us, raising costs on everything, yet nothing improves.”
Inside the hospital wards, patients joined the protest by banging on metal surfaces and chanting for the electricity to be restored. One patient yelled, “You give us no electricity, no water. Do you want to kill us? This is supposed to be a hospital!” Another patient added, “UCH, don’t kill us! Turn on the electricity for us. We have no water or power. Do you want us to die?”
Amid the unrest, an official from the hospital acknowledged the dire situation but argued that it was beyond the hospital’s control, citing the enormous electricity bills from IBEDC. He stated, “Did you know IBEDC billed us N88 million in the first week and N99 million in the second week? The real issue lies with the federal government in Abuja, who promised to cover 50 percent of the electricity costs for all hospitals, including UCH, but haven’t fulfilled that commitment.”
In response to the protests, UCH management appealed to both IBEDC and the federal government to reconsider the hospital’s tariff band classification. They highlighted the severe financial strain the current billing system imposes, hampering the facility’s ability to deliver consistent healthcare services. The hospital emphasized the need for urgent intervention to resolve the crisis and restore power, ensuring the well-being of its patients.
