Nicholas Kalu recounts the aftermath of power cut at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, which led to loss of lives
Activities at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, was grounded to a halt about three weeks ago following a power cut by the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) over a N34 million electricity tariff debt.
The decision of the PHEDC to disconnect the institution was so sudden and unexpected, the hospital is still reeling from the loss it incurred as a result of the unfortunate development.
Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Hospital, Dr Thomas Agan, described the move as insensitive and callous following the number of lives that were put at risk as a result of the power cut.
According to him, about five lives were lost as a result of development just as the operations of the hospital was grounded incidentally because it was that fateful day the hospital’s generators were being serviced.
Thus, services at the institution dropped by over 50 per cent, the CMD estimated. Agan said, “While disconnecting, there were so many patients on the operating table and you know they need light. What was rather unfortunate for us was that our generators were being serviced on that day and so we were literally between the devil and the deep blue sea. All attempts to talk to the business manager here proved abortive. He said he was given directives from their Port Harcourt headquarters that he must disconnect the Teaching Hospital.
“A lot of people have suffered needlessly just as some have died as a result of this. The incubators that manage newborn babies depend on light. And it was cut off. Laboratory equipment depends on light. Theatre equipment depend on light, Radiology Department depend on light just as the Ophthalmology Unit depend on light. The Ear, Nose and Throat Department depends on light. The same goes for many other units in the system. They totally crumbled activities in the system and a lot innocent people to suffered as a result.”
Pressed further, he said the development led to the destruction of critical equipment, especially, the sensitive ones that get easily destroyed because of power fluctuation. “Right now, we cannot generate oxygen. We have an oxygen plant here but because of that incident the plant was shut down. Right now we need to service it before it becomes functional again. That means if we need oxygen, we have to procure outside and it is a problem for the patients.
“One thing I want to let the public to know is that hospital is not a profit making venture. All, we do is service delivery and if you disconnect us, you just cripple the whole system.”
A walk round the hospital showed that the power cut was really hitting the hospital hard. It was observed that all the offices in the administrative block had their windows open as the workers were making good use of hand fans to deal with the hot weather. Sections of the hospital that had electricity were critical units.
It was observed that some people were taking their loved ones, who were patients to other hospitals. For instance in the Orthopedic section a patient said he had to go seek medical help elsewhere as the ultrasound equipment necessary for his treatment could not be used as there was no electricity to power it up.
Shedding more light on the development, the CMD said, “The University of Calabar Teaching hospital is also indebted to Power Holding. In the last 10 years, they have given us estimated bills. It was last month after much pressure that they came and gave a metre in this hospital. The estimated bill given to me in the month of August was N6.1 million for one month in a public institution like this is a social service institute.”
The metre reading for one month since it was installed read N2.1 million as against N6.1 million, he said. “You can see the huge difference. They said we owe N34 million in total and we are saying they should reconcile this bills. For instance having a bill of N2.1 million as against N6.1 million, it means that if the bill is reconciled, it should be far less than that. Mind you we have been paying our bills as the funds arrive. The Business Manager here said if we paid that latest bill of N2.1 million they will reconnect us. We paid but they still disconnected. Which means I was tricked me to pay that. It smacks of insensitivity.”
On the way to permanently get out of the quagmire, Agan appealed to the Federal Government to take over the provision of electricity to hospitals, especially tertiary hospitals.
A statement released by PHEDC however read in part, “As a responsive company, the due date of disconnecting customers is imprinted on the bills of customers notifying them of the due date of disconnection which is 15th of every month.
“Apart from the above, premium customers such as UCTH are always notified in writing about the company’s intention to carry out disconnection if all attempts through relationship marketing fail. It is pertinent to state that each Maximum Demand customer has a specially trained key accounts officer attached to it in order to resolve any billing or technical issue[s] that may arise.
“In the case of UCTH, several visitations were made to their office from May to July 2016 with a view to making them see reasons why the outstanding bills should be paid but the response was not forthcoming, hence the first disconnection on 28th July 2016.
“The disconnection on the said date prompted UCTH to have a meeting with PHED and thereafter, it was reconnected on 2nd August 2016 based on the letter of commitment by the Deputy Chief Medical Director, Dr. Joe Udosen, who committed the Teaching hospital to offset the debt using an agreed payment plan.
This eventually, paved way for a meeting also in the office of the Chief Medical Director, Professor Thomas Agan on 16th August, 2016 where PHED formally delivered a letter, titled “Need to settle outstanding PHED energy bill”, amounting to N35,367,938.70 and the need to pay or face disconnection,[Ref;PHED/PaCM/vol3/215/2016].
“The above outstanding debt was not a month’s bill as claimed but an accumulated bill arising from irregular paltry payments. PHED admits that the teaching hospital had a faulty meter and was billed on estimate based on the approved NERC methodology through load assessment and the perceived over billing by them is as a result of the amount of energy being wheeled to the hospital taking into cognisance its importance in health service delivery. The hospital is on Amika 33kv line which is a priority feeder. For instance, the hospital consumes an average of 98,766kwh in month on a tariff of N46.73 on A3.
“On 4th August 2016 when a functional meter was installed, the bill accrued between that date and 29th August 2016 has risen to N2,955,128.13 based on meter reading. Therefore, PHED wishes to state categorically that against all odds as being peddled in the media, established consultations with the management of the Teaching Hospital were made and due process was followed by PHED before disconnection was carried out in the second week of September 2016. It was a last resort in recovering the huge debt.
“PHED recognises UCTH as one of its customers established to make life better for Nigerians through good health care services but members of the public should also realise that PHED is out to improve its service delivery when customers pay for what they have consumed.”
