UCH needs N100b for turnaround ― CMD

The Chief Medical Director (CMD), University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Professor Jesse Otegbayo has said that the hospital will require about N100 billion to turn things around for excellent healthcare delivery.

Professor Otegbayo disclosed this while addressing reporters on the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of the health institution.

Otegbayo said facilities in the hospital have become obsolete due to age, usage and expanded operation over the years which necessitate renewal, upgrade or complete overhaul for excellent service delivery.

The CMD, who identified paucity of funds as the cause of the situation, called on public-spirited Nigerians and corporate organisations to join the growing list of donors to the hospital.

Otegbayo listed equipment, water and power supply as the three top priority areas the hospital is in dire need for its services to be fully seamless.

According to him, advancement in medical technology has necessitated upgrade and sometimes, the overhaul of the equipment being used in the hospital which the management is achieving gradually as it grapples with insufficient funds.

“Some of our equipment are almost obsolete because new models have been developed,” he said.

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Professor Otegbayo said uninterrupted water and electricity supply are multi-billion Naira projects which the hospital alone can not tackle.

He, however, disclosed that a little provision has been made for the water project in 2020 budget.

In spite of the challenges, Otegbayo said commitments of the hospital staff to ensuring services despite different constraints had just earned the hospital an award as the best-managed tertiary hospital in Nigeria.

Earlier, the General Overseer, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, commissioned a new dialysis machine he donated to the hospital. Adeboye also pledged another two machines before the end of the year.

The cleric said the UCH is a tertiary hospital that is central to healthcare delivery in Nigeria.

He also acknowledged that turning around the hospital requires a humongous amount of money, hence the need for Nigerians and organisations to support it in every way possible.

Adeboye prayed for all the patients and medical workers at the hospital, saying God will never allow them to be afflicted with a disease that will disgrace them.