UCH Doctors Issues 21 Days Power Ultimatum

University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, have issued a strong 21-day ultimatum to the hospital management over the persistent electricity crisis, vowing to commence an indefinite strike if the situation is not urgently addressed.

The doctors, under the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), UCH chapter, expressed deep frustration, warning that the ongoing power rationing has severely undermined patient care, endangered lives, and crippled medical training at Nigeria’s premier teaching hospital.

Speaking on the development, ARD UCH President, Dr. Uthman Adedeji, told journalists that the union had already activated the ultimatum starting March 7, 2026, following a five-day warning strike that yielded no positive response from management.

“We embarked on a five-day warning strike from Monday to Friday last week. When we returned to work on Saturday, the situation had not changed,” Adedeji stated.

He added: “That was only a warning strike because we are trying to follow due process and resolve the issue responsibly. Unfortunately, since our warning strike ended, we have not been called to any meaningful meeting for discussion or resolution.”

Adedeji stressed that if the ultimatum expires without concrete action, the doctors would have no choice but to shut down services indefinitely.

“It is unacceptable that a leading teaching hospital in 2026 is struggling with a basic utility such as electricity. A teaching hospital in 2026 is being forced to operate like a facility from a bygone era,” he lamented.

The ARD president made it clear that the demands centre on restoring adequate and uninterrupted power supply to both clinical areas and residential quarters of the hospital.

“Our fight is not for personal gain but for acceptable service delivery and proper training. Our demands are legitimate and non-negotiable,” Adedeji declared.

NaijaChoice News gathered that the current crisis stems from management’s decision to ration electricity supply despite power reaching the hospital’s feeders from the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC). Sources revealed that after reconnection in February 2025, management unilaterally reduced supply to between six and eight hours daily to contain mounting bills, a move taken without proper consultation with the unions.

This development comes against the backdrop of a more severe blackout that hit the hospital between November 2024 and February 2025, when UCH suffered a total power outage for 102 days following disconnection by IBEDC over an outstanding debt of N495 million since October 26, 2024.

During that prolonged darkness, doctors reportedly showed remarkable solidarity with management, refusing to strike even as patients suffered avoidable complications under torchlight surgeries and makeshift arrangements.

Adedeji recounted harrowing experiences under the current rationing regime: “One of my colleagues collapsed in the theatre two weeks ago and had seizures due to heat and exhaustion. While they were trying to save her life, another patient arrived in critical condition requiring emergency surgery. Despite the horrible conditions and lack of electricity, they still attempted the surgery.”

He further revealed cases where doctors had to reject or transfer patients due to lack of water and power, including a pregnant woman who was moved to another facility after lying in a pool of blood.

“The environment is no longer safe. There is no water. This is a hospital that was among the first teaching hospitals in the world many years ago. Yet we cannot even maintain minimum standards,” Adedeji said.

Reacting to the situation, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Workers (NAUPHW), UCH chapter, Mr. Daniel Adejobi, confirmed to NaijaChoice News that the crisis remains unresolved.

“There is no resolution yet as we speak. The matter has not been resolved,” Adejobi stated.

The electricity challenges at UCH trace back to the 2024 tariff hike under the Band A classification, which tripled bills for teaching hospitals nationwide. Although the Federal Government later introduced a 50 per cent subsidy, many institutions, including UCH, have continued to grapple with huge debts and rationing measures.

NaijaChoice News notes that the threatened strike, if allowed to happen, could further paralyse healthcare delivery at the 70-year-old institution, which serves as a major referral centre for the South-West and beyond, at a time when Nigerians are already battling high cost of medical services.

Stakeholders are calling on the Federal Government, Oyo State authorities, and UCH management to intervene swiftly before the three-week window closes to avert another major disruption in the nation’s health sector.