The University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, Oyo State, is experiencing a prolonged power outage that has severely disrupted medical services, leading families of hospitalized patients to bring in personal generators and solar inverters to ensure continuous care.
The ongoing power crisis began on October 26, 2024, when the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) disconnected UCH’s power supply over unpaid electricity bills. This disruption has had a particularly severe impact on critical medical services, prompting patients and their relatives to find alternative power sources to keep vital treatments running.
In response to the ongoing challenges, medical students from the University of Ibadan organized a protest, calling on the federal government to intervene and restore stable electricity to the facility.
The Oyo State Government has since acknowledged the power supply issues at UCH and has outlined plans to connect the hospital to its newly commissioned Independent Power Plant (IPP) as a medium-term solution. The government emphasized the need to address the crisis despite the hospital being federally managed.
“The Oyo State Government is aware of the power supply challenges at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan,” the government stated on social media. “Although the facility is managed by the federal government, the OYSG plans to connect UCH to the State’s Independent Power Plant (IPP) as a medium-term solution.”
While the state government’s intervention offers a glimmer of hope, patients and healthcare workers continue to endure the ongoing hardships caused by the power outage.
Healthcare stakeholders have reiterated calls for special electricity subsidies for medical institutions to prevent disruptions that pose serious risks to patients’ lives.
