UCH cancels proposed N1000 electricity tarrif on patients

The management of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, says it has rescinded its earlier decision to add a N1,000 electricity fee to the service charge of every patient admitted in the hospital.

This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Ibadan by the hospital’s spokesperson, Mr Toye Akinrinlola.

The statement quoted the Director of Administration of the hospital, Stephen Oladejo, as saying that there was never a time the hospital charged such a fee.

It said that there was no time the hospital charged such fee and that it was more concerned with adequate healthcare delivery to Nigerians.

It said the memo being referred to was an internal document which was not implemented after a thorough review from internal mechanisms for such issues and had since been withdrawn.

The statement said at  no point did the hospital charge electricity fee.

“We are assuring the public that we shall continue to deliver effective and efficient healthcare to Nigerians, irrespective of status,” he said.

Oladejo reiterated the commitment of the hospital to delivery of optimal healthcare services to the many patients who thronged the hospital daily.

According to him, the the hospital has been magnanimous on several occasions by writing off unpaid medical bills.

“It is also important to state that the University College Hospital does not turn back patients and that on several occasions, had written off bills incurred by indigent patients.

“Our doors are always open for people to cross check our activities,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the tertiary hospital had in an internal memo dated June 21, 2022, leaked to the media, proposed N1000 utility bill to be added to the service charge of patients seeking to access care in the hospital.