ELECTRICITY DEBT: UCH WORKERS LAMENT BLACKOUT: WE CAN’T CONTINUE TO WORK IN THE DARK

Babatunji Wusu –

The ongoing power outage that has impeded operations at the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, Oyo State, since Tuesday, March 19, 2024, has angered staff workers there.

It was made clear at a congress hosted by the Joint Action Committee (JAC), a coalition that represents all hospital unions, that the hospital’s staff is unable to carry out their responsibilities as usual due to the continuous power outage.

The assembly, which was held on the hospital’s grounds and was attended by representatives of several unions, including SSAUTHRIAI, NASU, NANNM, and NUAHP, brought attention to the severe conditions the facility was facing as a result of the power outage.

Comrade Oludayo Olabampe, the chairman of JAC, expressed the committee’s worries to the media and emphasized the urgency of taking swift measures to end the electrical issue.

“Since Tuesday last week, we have been experiencing total power outage simply because the IBEDC cut our light, they said UCH is owing N495m debt. And they said we must settle a substantial amount before the power can be restored,” Olabampe explained.

The hospital staff is under extreme strain due to the power outage, and they now have to deal with more risks and difficult working circumstances.

The urgency of the issue is reflected in Olabampe’s appeal to the general public and those in positions of power, stressing that the provision of healthcare at UCH is seriously jeopardized in the absence of electricity.

“Our members are languishing; they are working like slaves. Imagine a situation when you work in a hospital without light. We cannot continue to work in darkness. We don’t want to lose any member,” Olabampe said.