The Oyo State government on Wednesday declared that “it is standing by its position that it has supported the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan to the tune of N118 million in the fight against COVID-19.
Records made available by the Oyo State Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Akinola Ojo, confirmed that the state government has provided support to the UCH and the Department of Virology located inside the College to the tune of the said sum.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted the Commissioner for Finance as further giving a breakdown of the expenditure, indicating that the sum of N118 million was expended in meeting the varied needs of the Department of Virology, College of Medicine and the University College Hospital.
The statement further indicated that attempts by the management of the UCH to disown the Department of Virology, which serves as the teaching and research department in the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan as well as provides Clinical Services to the UCH, is self-serving, artificial and contemptuous.
It will be recalled that the state’s Commissioner for Finance had, on Tuesday, given a breakdown of the state’s expenses on the COVID-19 pandemic, declaring that the state has provided support to the UCH, to the tune of N118 million.
UCH reacts
The UCH, however, in a press statement on Wednesday denied receiving the said support.
The UCH in a statement by its Public Relation Officer, Toye Akinrinlola explained that it contacted some officials of the state government when the management heard about the news but discovered that they didn’t know the different between the College of Medicine of the University of Ibadan and the University College Hospital Ibadan.
The statement reads; “We contacted some officials of Oyo State for a 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 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.”
Distinction between College of Medicine, UCH artificial
However, the Oyo state government maintained that attempts to create thin lines between the Department of Virology, College of Medicine, which provides Clinical Services to the UCH and operates from the same premises as the Hospital, amount to being clever by half, because in practical terms, the divorce cannot just hold.
“Staffers of the Department hold identity cards of the UCH and that of the University of Ibadan, even as the Department remains the only one that undertakes Virology-related assignments for the UCH,” the statement read.
The statement quoted the Commissioner as saying that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state has provided medical supplies to the UCH, including 500 each of googles, protective gowns and face shields; 250 each of full protective, head covers & shoe covers; 200 hand gloves to UCH, amounting to N2 million.
It further stated that the state government has also provided a revolving fund to the tune of N5 million to the UCH for treatment of residents of Oyo State who tested positive to COVID-19.
The amount is being topped each time the hospital spends up to N4 million on the patients.
Besides, the Commissioner revealed that based on a shopping list specifically prepared and presented to the state government by the Chief Medical Director of the UCH, Prof. Jesse Otegbayo, the state government has procured medical supplies to the tune of N25 million for delivery to the Hospital.
“That the supplier is just about to deliver the said items is an evidence of the protocols related to movement schedules of all items within the environment of a global pandemic,” the statement further read.
The statement noted that these supplies included goggles, PPE gowns, boots and so on, stating that in all, the total amount spent in directly supporting the UCH (based on the artificial distinction) so far stood at N32 million, while the balance of N86 million constituted what has been spent to support the Department of Virology, which is the direct partner with the state on the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government maintained some of the supports provided to the Virology Department, which also handles the Clinical Services of the UCH, includes purchase of PPEs, SARSCoV-2 testing kits, extraction kits for Covid-19, wet lease of the testing machine for Covid-19, medical supplies and consumables as well as payment of allowances for the staff of the Virology Department.
“In order to clarify the referenced N118 million support, it is important to first of all state that we were made aware of a distinction between the University College Hospital (UCH) and the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan.
“Oyo State Government has provided support to both institutions during this COVID-19 pandemic,” the statement read.
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