Healthcare services at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, came to a near standstill yesterday as workers commenced a five-day warning strike to protest what they described as a deliberate policy of internal electricity rationing implemented by the hospital management.
The industrial action was declared by the Council of UCH Union Leaders (CUUL), a coalition of the six main staff unions operating within the tertiary health institution. The affected unions include the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MWHUN), the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUHAP), the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), and the Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI).
Addressing journalists at the hospital premises, the co-chairmen of CUUL, Oladayo Olabampe and Dr Uthman Adedeji, detailed the extent of disruption caused by months of what they termed “internal rationing” of electricity. According to the union leaders, the situation has severely compromised the institution’s ability to deliver even basic medical care.
“For months, service delivery areas have been subjected to internal rationing. Theatres are thrown into disarray, medications and vaccines are lost due to broken cold chains, and research activities have ground to a halt,” the unions stated in a joint declaration titled ‘Let There Be Light’.
The unions further outlined specific consequences of the power shortages. Routine surgeries have been cancelled or conducted under hazardous conditions, with medical staff reportedly forced to use headlamps and mobile phone torches to illuminate wards and operating tables. Laboratory investigations are facing prolonged delays, and life-saving diagnostic equipment remains idle due to the unreliable power supply. The unions also raised concerns about the integrity of the cold chain system, essential for preserving vaccines and temperature-sensitive medications, which they said has been repeatedly compromised.
Beyond clinical services, the workers highlighted severe secondary effects, including acute water shortages caused by the inability to power pumping machines, an increased risk of hospital-acquired infections due to poor sanitation, and heightened security risks for staff working night shifts.
The unions further argued that the power crisis is inflicting significant financial losses on the hospital, as patients and complex medical procedures are increasingly referred to other facilities where essential services can be guaranteed.
In response to the ongoing situation, CUUL presented a list of immediate demands to the hospital management. The workers are insisting on the immediate cessation of all forms of internal power rationing affecting service areas. They are also demanding the restoration of water supply to both clinical facilities and residential quarters within the hospital premises, the urgent replacement of faulty electricity meters, and the reversal of a newly introduced rent structure for staff accommodation which they described as burdensome.
The striking workers have called on the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Federal Ministry of Power, and the broader Federal Government to intervene urgently. They warned that without immediate action, the deterioration of services at one of Nigeria’s foremost tertiary health institutions would accelerate, endangering more lives and further straining the public health system.
As of the time of filing this report, the management of UCH had not issued any official response to the allegations raised by the unions or to the commencement of the strike action.
