Gbenro Adesina
The Management of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan on Wednesday, June 24, 2020, reacted to a press statement by the Oyo State Government where the Hospital was listed as one of the beneficiaries of the money spent by the state government in its fight against COVID-19.
In a press statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Toye Akinrinlola, on behalf of the Chief Medical Director, Professor Jesse Abiodun Otegbayo, the Hospital said it was not true that the sum of N118 million was given to it by the state government to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
It could be recalled that on Tuesday, in a press statement signed by Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, the state government said that it has so far spent the sum of Two Billion, Seven Hundred and Seventy-Nine Million (N2,779,000,000) on the effort to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
It gave the breakdown of the expenses to include: “N370 million for the setting up of the Infectious Disease Centre, Olodo, Ibadan; N453 million on security of the state borders; N118 million to provide support for the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan for partnership on testing; N900 million on provision of palliatives and seedling to residents and farmers”.
The statement by the UCH Management read in part:
“The attention of the management of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan has been drawn to the content of a press release from the Oyo State Government that the sum of N118 million was given to the hospital to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The press release quoted the Oyo State Commissioner of Finance, Mr. Akinola Ojo as saying the said amount was released to UCH.
“We contacted some officials of Oyo State for clarification on this, but it seems there is a misunderstanding in the difference between the College of Medicine of the University of Ibadan and the University College Hospital Ibadan. It, therefore, behoves the Management of the UCH to put the record straight.
“We hereby state emphatically that the University College Hospital, Ibadan did not and has not received any monetary donation from the Oyo State Government.
“The Chief Medical Director of the UCH is a member of the Oyo State COVID-19 task force. He should know if any money was given to UCH outside the 250 pieces of the PPE given to the hospital.
“All other services rendered to Oyo State by UCH have been strictly humanitarian and no financial benefits have accrued to the hospital.
“UCH has been able to cope with the rigours of the pandemic through donations from the NCDC (an organ of the Federal Government), some corporate bodies, well-meaning Nigerians, Alumni associations of the hospital, staff and students of the hospital”.
“I, therefore, wish to say once again that the UCH is not in receipt of any N118m as claimed by the Oyo State Government”, the statement concluded.
