The House of Representatives has asked the federal government, through the Federal Ministry of Health to provide solar power for all Federal Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical Centres across the country to stall blackouts in the health facilities.
The House also asked the government to declare a state of emergency in the health sector and specifically address the critical situation at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.
In a resolution following a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Afolabi Afuape (APC, Ogun), the House asked the Minister of Power to ensure immediate proactive steps are taken towards restoration of power to the University College Hospital to ensure its continuing functionality.
The House also asked the Minister of Health and the Chief Medical Director of University College Hospital, Ibadan to appear before the House Committee on Health to account for the decadence in the hospital and provide a comprehensive plan to address the situation.
Leading the debate on the motion, Afuape described the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan as the foremost, and of course, a critical healthcare institution, that provides essential medical services in Nigeria.
He said the institution had previously received medical tourists from abroad and had hitherto generated substantial revenue into the coffers of the nation.
He expressed concern that this vital healthcare institution has been thrown into a persistent blackout that has lasted for almost three months by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, over a whooping electricity bill of Four Hundred and Ninety-Five Million Naira (N495,000,000.00k) slammed on the hospital;
He said the precarious situation has severely impacted the institution’s ability to render adequate medical services to the people, resulting in avoidable loss of lives and livelihood, as well as emotional distress to Nigerians.
He said the situation has become embarrassing to the extent that, relatives of patients now bring power generators and solar inverter appliances to the hospital. As well as a donor gifting a high power generating set to aid the hospital services;
He also said that the situation has taken a toll on the psychological and emotional well-being of Nigerians, eroding trust in the government’s ability to provide basic services.
