The University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, has asked each patient to pay N1,000 per day for electricity in order to mitigate the effects of the increase in energy bills and the fuel used to power the hospital’s generating facilities.
According to Nigerian Tribune, the management of the hospital, in an internal memo, titled, ‘Approval for the recommendation to add utility fee to service charged patients in the hospital.’
The publication revealed that the memo was signed by the UCH administrator, Wole Oyeyemi, on behalf of the chairman, Medical Advisory Committee and Chief Medical Director.
The memo read, “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, the management has decided to consider measures that can help to facilitate flawless service delivery in the hospital.
“To this end, I write to convey the management’s approval for the mandatory payment of utility fee of N1,000 daily by every patient accessing care in the hospital. “You are requested to kindly implement approval with immediate effect.”
When contacted, the hospital’s Public Relations Officer, Toye Akinrinola, requested time to authenticate the source of the memo.
