• Inmates, others bathe, flush toilet with sachet water
•Doctors send patients to private labs for tests
A prolonged power outage at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, has sparked concerns about an impending environmental crisis. Some critical units at the hospital, laboratories, and medical facilities have been affected by the power outage, putting patients’ lives at risk.
The current power outage, which started a few weeks ago, has crippled the hospital’s ability to provide some essential medical services.
Non-availability of basic things like water at the hospital as a result of the power outage has also made life difficult for patients, their relatives and even workers at the hospital as some of them now rely on sachet water to have their bath, wash clothes and flush toilets.
There are palpable fears that power outage if not resolved on time can lead to environmental challenges.
Speaking with The Nation, one of the relatives of a patient at FDM ward, Mrs Rose Egenimo said, “I brought my brother here for surgery. He has cancer of the throat. We’ve been here for a week and a day, the challenges are that there is no water since there’s no light. Life has been very hard especially when I came and there was no light, when I went to run a test on my brother at the lab there was no light. So they said they were using solar and before I could get the result it was like three days.
“On a good day, the result should be out the following day but it now takes three days. Even the water issue is very bad. I used to pay N200 daily to take my bath outside in a mobile toilet. At times they pump water but you can’t use it because you’ll be afraid that the nurses will talk because they’re using fuel to pump it. They’ll say the water is for the patient. We can’t make use of the toilet since there’s no water and even when there’s water because they don’t take care of it.
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“Everybody is affected. If you ask , you’ll be tired of asking because everybody is with their own experience and everyone is fed up. You cannot even charge your phone. The touch I bought is off because there’s no light to charge it. I was forced to turn off my phone because its battery will go flat.
Government should interfere in this situation. They should find a way because people are suffering seriously. I plead on behalf of everyone to see the management to sort things out.”
The Nation observed that the recent power outage has plunged the hospital into darkness as our Correspondent visited the hospital at night. The incident has generated condemnation from some patients, relatives and even some staff of the hospital
The blackout was said to be as a result of disconnection of the hospital light by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) as a result of unpaid accumulated bills by the hospital.
Another relative of a patient admitted at the emergency unit of the hospital, Mr Lawal while revealing his ordeal said, “There is no light. Yesterday we had to do our test outside the hospital. There’s no light to do the test and even to process it. The doctor had to tell us to do it outside the hospital because there’s no light. The issue of light has been on for over three weeks. We went to a lab at Mokola Round-about and Rainbow to do the test yesterday.
“We were to do the test last week Monday but we couldn’t because of the light issue. Even when we want to pay money sometimes in the hospital, we won’t be able to pay because there’s no light, if we want to buy drugs, no light, we buy our drugs outside. Today people have gone outside to do their test. A patient that died this morning, was to do a test last week but could not because of this light issue. He had a heart problem. This lack of light has spoilt a lot of things.
“Many patients cannot have their bath. I had to go and buy two bags of pure water for my patient because there’s no light to pump water. I’d been here five days without bathing. It was when I went home that I took my bath. Please let the government help UCH to pay the money they are owing because we’re losing a lot of things. All the money that should be coming inside the hospital is going outside. We can’t use the toilet. My child even used the toilet but we couldn’t flush because there’s no water. This can cause cholera and unknown diseases.”
Mrs Grace Ogunbiyi said, “From the beginning of this month, I’ve been coming here. At that time it was the case of strike not light but it was around that time the light issue started. This light issue is affecting the patients in a whole federal hospital. The hospital has been around since 1957 and they’ll be 67 years soon. There has been no light. People have been using their phone as a touch. We have to buy bags of pure water for the patients and we use pure water to flush the toilet, to wash our hands, to bathe our children.
“We can’t do tests inside the hospital anymore because of the light. We have to do it outside and we won’t still be able to collect the results for three days. These results that we should be able to get immediately we have to wait for three to four days before we can get them. If they switch on the light, they’ll say it’s for 6 hours. Imagine such in a whole federal hospital. There’s a child that’s waiting to have surgery but cannot because there’s no light. The lack of light is not a good thing at all.
“Three days ago we all protested here. The Nepa officials come here every month. They said UCH is owing N98 million. Lack of water can cause infection. Even the patients, they’ll dip hand towels in water and clean them. It’s almost 20 days now. Some people go to hotels, while some go to people’s homes to bathe. People are now using this lack of light to steal. Government should help us. UCH said they can’t be paying N98 million every month to Nepa because they want to do something about it. Either solar or another way.”
Also speaking with The Nation, the Chairman, Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Unions in the hospital, Com. Oladayo Olabampe urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Power Minister, Adebayo Adelabu, governor Seyi Makinde and other well meaning Nigerians to come to the aid of the hospital.
He said the masses, particularly patients and their relations in the hospital are really suffering from the blackout. “We are now working under hazard because a lot of our work has to do with light, something should be done to this issue which has become a recurrent problem.
“IBDEC said UCH is owing N100 million, and they insist the hospital must pay it before the light can be reconnected. UCH is under social welfare and it’s not a profit making institution. UCH can’t afford to be on band A. we have requested to be put on band B but IBDEC refused.”
Patients, caregivers, others at risk- Expert
Speaking on environmental implication of power outage in the hospital, an environmental expert, Prof. Grace Oloukoi, who is a Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Management at Lead City University said “non-availability of water as a result of power outage in health care facility means that patients, care givers, medical professionals are at risk. There’s a tendency for all forms of emergency of water borne diseases.
“Another challenge is sanitation. Whenever there’s no water, there’s no power there cannot be effective sanitation so there’s a measure that connects all these parameters together.
“When people cannot access sanitation facilities don’t forget they’ll look for alternatives, whether short-put or they will use the toilet facilities and not flush it. And before you know it, it can be magnifying other ailments. This is a critical issue.
“The challenge with inefficient and ineffective power supply in Nigeria, it affects all areas of our lives, livelihood, our mobility, our health, everything around us depends on power. If we’re not using the power for lighting, we use it for heating, processing, welding etc.
“Public health sector cannot do without power supply. They can’t do any form of diagnostic analysis in the laboratory. There’s nothing they can do about that. It means if there’s a patient waiting for a diagnostic procedure without power supply that procedure will wait. Also, for those in the surgical section.
“They cannot do any operation in the theater when power supply is not in place and then you talk of those in the administration section, they want to process this file for the next procedure, they want to take care of this one to know which consultant will work on it, they can’t do anything without power supply. Don’t forget we’re trying to move everything to the digital era.
“They’re shouting that there’s grid failure. They’re so many challenges in the country but we still want to cry to the government that there’s much to be done in the power sector. If it is done properly and we have access to the power supply, I can tell you other livelihood matters would thrive. People who are into welding, food processing, industrial houses would thrive better and people in the health sector there’s no medical research they want to do without power supply.
“So it means our productivity as a country is going down day by day because power is the engine for any development in any country. So the more we push effort in that direction as a country the better it will be for us in all aspects of our lives. So I’m challenging the government.
“I’m challenging all the well-meaning Nigerians, people in private sector has been allowed to come into power generation; government should give them more enabling empowerment, as we do this, I believe that our national health outcomes level will increase, our productivity will improve and before you know it, Nigeria and Nigerians would have better living standard.”
UCH reacts
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of UCH, Funmi Adetuyibi in a statement said the hospital management has held several meetings with the management of IBEDC on payment modules, noting that the hospital’s bills from IBEDC inclusive of accumulated bill since 2019 to date is put at about N3.1billion. She lamented that the power disconnection has resulted in the hospitals’ inability to effectively meet her mandate (clinical service, research and training) to her esteemed patients.
Enumerating the measures taken by the facility to mitigate the challenges, she said: “In a bid to mitigate the effects of this hardship, the management has taken some steps which includes the following: Dissemination of information to patients, alternative power sources through the use backup generators to power critical areas, including: Emergency department, operating theatres, Intensive Care Unit, and Laboratories, among others.
“Solar/inverter panels have been made available in the following areas of the hospital: Emergency Department, Main Theatre, Intensive Care Unit, Paediatrics Intensive Care Unit, East 3 Ward, South East 3, Owena Dialysis Ward, High Dependency Unit, South West 2. All the clinics: General Out-patient Clinic to Medical Out-patient Clinic, Kidney dialysis, Endoscopy, Echocardiography/ Electrocardiography Suites. Provision of mini solar bulbs have been made available to illuminate critical areas e.g. Otunba Tuwase Paediatrics Ward in the first instance.
“Contingency planning: We have developed emergency response plans to ensure seamless continuity of patient care during outages.”
IBEDC: We are ready for flexible payment arrangement
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) assured the management of UCH of its readiness to arrive at a flexible payment arrangement that could be mutually agreed upon by both parties. The company gave the assurance in a statement by the Lead, Media Relations, Busolami Tunwase while giving an update regarding the ongoing power supply challenge at the hospital.
Tunwase, while expressing the sympathy of IBEDC for the hospital’s predicament, confirmed that the disconnection was due to UCH’s significant outstanding debt. She said the IBEDC was compelled to take the course of action as it was faced with increasing pressure to meet her financial obligations to the market. Noting that the company is expected to meet 100 percent of its market obligations, she lamented that outstanding debt from major customers like UCH directly contributes to the liquidity crisis within Nigeria’s power sector.
The statement reads in part “The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has issued an update regarding the ongoing power supply challenge with University College Hospital, Ibadan (UCH). The company expressed sympathy for the hospital’s situation but confirmed that the disconnection was due to UCH’s significant outstanding debt. IBEDC was compelled to take this course of action as we are faced with increasing pressure to meet our financial obligations to the market.
“However, IBEDC reiterated its commitment to working with UCH and remains open to discussions on a flexible payment arrangement that could be mutually agreed upon by both parties. It explained that the company is expected to meet 100% of its market obligations, and the outstanding debt from major customers like UCH directly contributes to the liquidity crisis within Nigeria’s power sector.
“IBEDC continues to advocate for timely payments from all customers, stressing that a stable and reliable power supply is dependent on the financial health of the sector. The company called on UCH and all other customers to settle their arrears to help resolve the ongoing challenges facing Nigeria’s electricity distribution system.”
