The management of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State, has introduced an additional payment of N1, 000 daily electricity fee to the service charge of every admitted patient in the hospital, declaring that the new development was prompted by the high cost of electricity tariffs and diesel.
Penpushing reports that, the management in a circular signed by the administrator of the hospital, Wole Oyeyemi, on behalf of the chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee and Chief Medical Director, declared that the development must take immediate effect.
“Following the recurring power outage in the hospital, high cost of electricity tariff and inflation in the price of diesel which have impeded stable power supply, management has decided to consider measures that can help to facilitate flawless service delivery in the hospital’, the circular reads.
“To this end, I write to convey the management’s approval for the mandatory payment of utility fee of N1, 000.00 (one thousand naira only) daily by every patient accessing care in this hospital. You are requested to kindly implement the approval with immediate effect”,it added
Penpushing further reports that in confirmation to the new development, a staff of the institution who prefer anonymity, explained that the hospital is currently running on a huge loss and need to improvise by adding the N1,000 to patients’ service charge.
The staff added that the hospital receives between N50 and N60 million electricity bills every month from the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC),stressing that it is no more nes that diesel is very costly.
“You are aware that diesel is very costly, as we have to rely on public power supply and then the bill by our electricity distributor- IBDC, is also now very high. We receive between N50 and N60 million naira every month here and this is not a corporate organisation’.
‘We are serving humanity. So because we cannot maintain such a bill, we had to look for ways of sustainability. The more power we have, the higher the bill,” the official added, noting that oftentimes the hospital experiences a recurring power outage, and would be forced to run power generating sets for hours’, the staff stated.
Penpushing also reports that, the worker emphasised that the hospital cannot afford total blackout explaining that the emergency units need constant power and water supply.
The hospital spokesman , Toye Akinrinola, who also confirmed the development, pointed out that there is more to the development than what is being circulated, adding that some well-meaning Nigerians have started donating diesel to support the hospital.
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