Coronavirus: UCH denies receiving N118 million donation from Oyo State government

The University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, on Wednesday denied receiving N118 million from the Oyo State government for the fight against the new Coronavirus pandemic.

The state’s Commissioner for Finance, Akinola Ojo, had on Tuesday said the state government has so far spent about N2.7 billion to contain Coronavirus in the state.

While giving a breakdown of the expenditure, Mr Ojo said N118 million was used to “support” UCH.

“In terms of expenses and the breakdown, as a state and, as of today, we have spent N2,779,000,000,” the commissioner said.

“A breakdown of these expenses shows that we have spent N900 million to provide for palliatives to the indigent amongst us and also provide palliatives to the farmers in the form of seedlings.

“The plan of the governor is to set up four world-class isolation centres across the regions of the state. And this, without doubt, has come with a cost. We have set up the Olodo Isolation Centre, which is a world-class facility. We are in the process of setting up isolation centres in Saki, Ogbomoso and Igbo Ora. All we need to actualise these has been set aside and included in the cost of roughly N2.8 billion that has been spent this far.

“We have spent another N118 million in supporting UCH, a partner that is supporting us in testing coronavirus patients. We spent an additional N900 million on palliatives and for provision of seedling to farmers that were affected.

UCH Denies

But the UCH spokesperson, Toye Akinrinlola, in a statement on Wednesday said the hospital did not receive any money from Oyo State Government.

Mr Akinrinlola, who issued the statement on behalf of the hospital’s Chief Medical Director (CMD), Jesse Otegbayo, said the hospital had only received 250 pieces of PPE from the state government.

He added that all other services rendered in the state by UCH have been strictly on humanitarian grounds and attracted no financial benefits to the hospital.

“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 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.

“The 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”.

‘No difference between UCH and College of Medicine’

But the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Taiwo Adisa, defended the commissioner’s statement, saying the state government does not differentiate between the College of Medicine and University College Hospital (UCH)

Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday, Mr Adisa, however, said he does not know which of the two received the support from the state.

“Well, they are the one that is differentiating between the two.