Debt: IBEDC Reconnects UCH After Three Weeks Darkness

The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has restored the power supply to the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan three weeks after disconnecting the medical facility.

Naija News recalls that the premier healthcare facility had been grappling with a challenging three-week blackout due to an outstanding electricity bill, severely impacting hospital operations and patient care.

On Thursday, the Public Relations Officer for IBEDC, Busolami Tunwase, confirmed to Channels Television that the hospital’s power supply had been reinstated.

The resolution came after UCH managed to pay slightly over 10 per cent of the outstanding debt it owed to IBEDC, coupled with a commitment to gradually clear the remaining balance.

The hospital had been disconnected from the power grid on March 19th over an unpaid bill amounting to N495 million, plunging the facility into a dire situation.

The lack of electricity had forced the hospital to operate under significantly strained conditions, affecting both patients and the medical staff.

John Oladapo, a doctor at UCH and chairman of the Association of Resident Doctors (UCH), recounted the difficulties faced, including nurses having to use torches or phones to find veins for setting lines.

This prompted the workers’ unions within UCH to adopt a stance on scaling down their working hours until power was restored.

Following the prolonged blackout, the Joint Action Committee coordinator at UCH, Olaadayo Olabampe, issued a circular on April 3rd announcing the suspension of night shifts until the electricity supply was reinstated.

“This is the 3rd week of total blackout in UCH. Normally we don’t have 24-hour light; we back up with alternative sources in most cases. With no light, people are not finding it convenient to work. They cannot perform at an optimal level in this kind of condition,” he stated.

Negotiations between UCH and IBEDC, initially at an impasse with IBEDC demanding at least N250 million of the N459 million debt as the first instalment, finally bore fruit leading to the reconnection.