UCH Doctors Battle 109-Day Blackout, Resort to Torchlights to Save Lives

A prolonged power outage at the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, Oyo State, has forced doctors to rely on torchlights and phone flashlights to attend to patients, resulting in avoidable deaths and medical errors.

The hospital was disconnected from the national grid by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) on October 26, 2024, over an outstanding debt of N495 million. Despite efforts to resolve the issue, the power outage persisted for 109 days, causing immense hardship for patients and medical staff.

Doctors and medical students who spoke with PUNCH Healthwise shared harrowing experiences of working in near-total darkness, relying on torchlights and phone flashlights to perform basic medical procedures. They described the situation as “surreal” and “heart-breaking,” with many patients suffering from treatable conditions dying due to the lack of electricity.

One medical student recounted how a breast cancer patient died due to complications arising from the hospital’s blackout. Another student described how a gastroenteritis patient’s life was saved only because he intervened and took her to a private hospital.

The Chief Medical Director of UCH, Prof. Jesse Otegbayo, attributed the power crisis to obsolete equipment, which has been in use since the hospital’s establishment in 1957. He emphasized the need for a reliable source of power to ensure the hospital’s operations.

The Federal Government has promised to install a solar-powered mini-grid to provide a permanent solution to the hospital’s power challenges. The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, announced that the project would commence this quarter and be completed within six to nine months.

Stakeholders in the healthcare sector have raised concerns about the potential loss of lives due to blackouts in hospitals, emphasizing the need for greater accountability in power consumption and adequate funding for healthcare institutions.