Opinion: Protest over 82 day Power Outage in UCH
UCH Ibadan is in the throes of a 82 day power outage which has crippled activities in the hospital and led to a student protest.
University College Hospital Ibadan (UCH) established in 1957 is one of the foremost Teaching Hospitals in Nigeria. Indeed you must be living under a rock if you’ve never heard of UCH in the medical sector.
The hospital currently boasts of 1229 bed spaces and 163 examination couches. The Saudi Royal family used UCH in the 1960s– that is how good the reputation of UCH is.
Uch practically boasts all the specialities you will need in a Teaching Hospital as well as specialised care in certain areas like Geriatrics. It is therefore unnerving to hear such a national pride is without power.
The Consequences are Dire
Imagine the number of patients in the outpatient clinics waiting to see their doctors. Think of doctors working under such conditions!
In a country that has a doctor to patient ratio of 1 doctor to 9083 patients as against the recommended 1 to 600. How will a doctor see 30 patients per day with no electricity and probably wearing a tie!
Imagine postponing life saving surgery because of lack of power
Imagine preterm babies and babies in incubators that need 24 hours electricity to survive!
Imagine the medical students and lecturers that need fans and various electricity powered aids for their classrooms and teaching
The Federal Government needs to intervene immediately to salvage this situation! No doubt, UCH has resorted to some self help which will include generators to power critical departments. However, there is so much they can do on their own without the might of the government.
Government and all stake holders need to sit together and device a solution out of this quagmire. Alternative sources of power including solar, hydroelectric power, wind energy and natural gas should be fully explored.
