University College Hospital

Health workers in the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, Nigeria, have declared that the internally generated revenue of the hospital is insufficient to cater for the monthly astronomical electricity bills brought by the officials of the Ibadan Eelectricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).

The health workers who made this declaration on Tuesday, through the chairman of the Non-Academic Staff Union and Associated Institutions (NASU), Comrade Kehinde Abiona, appealed to the Federal Government to rechannel the gains of the subsidy removal to fund the health sector's challenges.

''Management cannot pay the prohibitive tariffs; even before the increment, the hospital had been grappling to cope with the increasing costs of administration. It is just like a patient that is struggling to survive and the oxygen line is suddnely removed.''

''The Federal Government should rechannel the subsidy it removed on petrol to the power sector. The government should subsidize power consumption. It promised to subsidize electricity in teaching hospitals, but surprisingly this promise has no seen the light of the day.'' Comrade Abiona stated.

He called on well meaning Nigerians to prevail on the government to do the necessary for teaching hospitals in the country,  saying''everyone is a potential patient, we should all be concenred about how the hospitals are run.''

The Chief Medical Director of the University College Hospital(UCH), Ibadan, Nigeria, Prof. Jesse Otegbayo has raised the alarm over the incessant thefts within the hospital.

Prof. Otegbayo made this revelation recently at a program organized by the hospital with the theme, ''PHARMACEUTICAL CARE: THE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE HOSPITAL EXPERIENCE.''

''There are lots of thefts going on in the hospital these days. The latest is the theft of newly installed oxygen pipes. We caught one of the security personnel of the hospital who was involved.  We are disturbed. Let us be vigilant. If you see something, say something, the CMD advises the workers.

Before this time, concerned workers discovered the UCH property at a major scrap metal market in the state capital.

The management of the University College Hospital(UCH) Ibadan, Nigeria has appealed to patients to bear with the hospital as it makes efforts to address the present electricity challenge.

This appeal was made by the management through the Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Obafunmilayo Adetuyibi in a chat with New Federation.

''Patients in the wards of the hospital should bear with us,the hospital is making efforts to address the electricity challenge. Our internally Generated Revenue(IGR) has gone low, several letters have been written to friends of the hospital in both the public and private sectors, we are hopeful that they will help us out.'' Mrs. Adetuyibi stated.

The Public Relations Officer explained that on assumption of duty on the 1st of March 2019, the Chief Medical Director(CMD), Prof. Jesse Otegbayo met an accumulated bill of over 200 million Naira, adding,'' the bill is not for UCH alone, the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan has its own bill, one for UCH and one for the College of Medicine. As at January this year, we paid 50 million Naira and for February, we paid 55 million Naira and for March, we paid 45 million Naira. All these we have paid, even though electricity is not available for 24 hours.''

Mrs Adetuyibi also noted that health workers in the hospital had the right to protect themselves, while stressing that there were Public Service Rules that guide the policy thrust of the hospital.

''JOHESU wrote a letter to the management intimating the management of a 14 day ultimatum to restore electricity. The management will still get back to them. They should wait for a management decision.''

The PRO maintained that services have not been disrupted by the power outage saying,''our laboratories and the Universal Laboratory are functioning. Patients go to the laboratories to pick up their results, we are working round the clock to restore electricity supply, they should bear with us.''

The Non-Academic Staff Union and Associated Institutions(NASU) University College Hospital(UCH) Ibadan, Nigeria has expressed hopes that the suspended union elections will take place in the first quarter of the year.

The union made this known through its chairman, Comrade Kehinde Abiona.

''We are very hopeful that the the suspended elections of the union will come up within the first quarter of the year'', Comrade Abiona stated.

He also expressed joy at the reopening of the union's office, saying,''to God be the glory, the NASU secretariat was reopened on the 4th January 2024 after a letter of appeal dated 29th 0f December 2023 was written to the management.''

An unspecified number of patients in the University College Hospital(UCH) Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria have expressed reservations over the high cost of obtaining medical reports.

The patients, who spoke incognito, lamented that they were made to part with N6,000 before they could be issued with the hospital's medical report at the records office.

''We were told that we could only be given a medical report on the payment of N6,000 in these hard times, it is beyond reach,'' they lamented.

However, the hospital's reaction, the Public Relations Officer, Mrs Adetuyibi Obafunmilayo disclosed that the hospital charges N6,000 for medical reports, adding,'' The patient makes a request for a medical report, while all the tests conducted on the patient are in his or her case note. Medical records officers do not write medical reports. It is the duty of medical consultants.''

''Yes, we do charge for our medical reports. The money we charge is N6,000. This forms part of the Internally Generated Revenue(IGR) of the hospital that we use to produce medical reports. The money goes to the Treasury Single Account(TSA). Medical consultants don't collect cash from patients, it is against our policy,'' Mrs. Obafunmilayo stated.

On the Non-Academic Staff Union and Associated Institutions(NASU)UCH branch, the PRO insisted that the Chief Medical Director was not behind the miscreants who invaded and sealed up the NASU office.

''When the issue of NASU election came up, there was a crisis and a report was made by the chairman and a panel was set up. The panel submitted its report and management wrote to the national headquarters of NASU, but they are yet to respond,'' the PRO concluded.

Hoodlums on Friday, 20th October 2023 sealed the branch secretariat of the Non-Academic Staff Union and Associated Institutions(NASU) in the University College Hospital(UCH), Ibadan, Nigeria.

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According to the chairman of the union, Comrade Kehinde Abiona who made this disclosure, the sealing off was with the consent of the management of the hospital.

''On Friday, 20th October 2023 by about 9.00 am in the morning, miscreants, among whom were a few financial members and non-financial members invaded the office of the union in the name of protesting the non-conduct of the union's elections and made attempts to seal the office off, which I resisted, until the Chief Security Officer of the hospital came around to deceive me that the Chief Medical Director wanted to see me, at that point, I had to go; but on getting back to NASU, I met the office being sealed off and there was going in the presence of cameramen from the Public Relations department of the hospital who were busy recording on the instructions of the CSO,'' Comrade Abiona stated.

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The chairman of the Non-Academic Staff Union and Associated Institutions(NASU) University College Hospital(UCH)branch,Ibadan, Nigeria has been elected to the National Executive Council(NEC) of the union.

 This disclosure was made on Monday by Kehinde Abiona in a chat.

''The embattled NASU UCH branch chairman has broken the jinx by becoming member of the National Executive Council of NASU. We have over 2,000 members in UCH. Foir the first time ever, a sitting chairman of NASU UCH has been elected a member of NEC. This is the major reason why the hands of all members must be on deck to return the chairman for a second term for the intererst of the branch and for members' interest.''

Members of the University College Hospital(UCH)branch of Ibadan,Nigeria of the Non-Academic Staff Unionand AssociatedInstitutions(NASU) have declared that they are not among the beneficiaries of the 40 per cent increase in the allowances of civil servants in the country.
They made this declaration through the union's chairman,Comrade Kehinde Abiona.
''The issue has been put to rest with the payment of April salaries,then we discovered that UCH and other teaching hospitals in the Consolidate Health Salary Scale(CONHESS) were not captured. The only respite we have in the health sector for now, is the latest video released by the Minister of Labor and Productivity,Dr. Chris Nigige wherein he promised that some category of us would enjoy a 25 per cent increase,''Comrade Abiona disclosed.