Frequent reports that the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan is under a spell of darkness and water shortage belie its pedigree as a top-notch medical centre for the training of doctors, healthcare delivery and research. But the fetid narrative perfectly reflects the lack of serious attention to the health sector, and life itself, in Nigeria.
The hospital’s pathetic condition has sparked countless protestations from a broad spectrum of its stakeholders and nostalgic feelings about the days of yore, when it was the flagship in healthcare delivery, not just in Nigeria, but in the whole of Africa. Therefore, the authorities in Abuja, and within the institution, should wake up to their responsibilities and buck this ugly trend.
For too long, this premier tertiary hospital established in 1957, has been, as it were, on a sick bed waiting for the surgeon’s blade. Its medical infrastructure is no longer cutting edge, and neither are its health services of high quality. However, its current exposure to public glare stems from the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company‘s (IBEDC) decision to disconnect it from its services following a huge indebtedness of over N400 million as of April. By March, it had reportedly suffered three sustained blackouts.
