PATIENTS at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, will now have to pay N1,000 electricity charge daily, due to high cost of electricity tariff and diesel.

The management of the hospital, in an internal memo, entitled, ‘Approval for the recommendation to add utility fee to service charged patients in the hospital,’ signed by the UCH administrator, Wole Oyeyemi, on behalf of the chairman, Medical Advisory Committee and Chief Medical Director, recommended N1,000 electricity charges by respective patients in the hospital.

The memo read: “Following the recurring power outage in the hospital, high cost of electricity tariff and inflation in the price of diesel which have impeded stable power supply, the management has decided to consider measures that can help to facilitate flawless service delivery in the hospital.

“To this end, I write to convey the management’s approval for the mandatory payment of utility fee of N1,000 daily by every patient accessing care in the hospital. “You are requested to kindly implement approval with immediate effect.”

When contacted, the hospital’s Public Relations Officer, Toye Akinrinola, requested time to authenticate the source of the memo.