Families of patients at the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, Oyo State, have protested against persistent power outages in the hospital.

It was gathered that staff members of the hospital’s Public Relations Office attempted to engage in dialogue with the families during the protest.

They explained that the power challenges were beyond the control of the hospital staff, emphasising that they, too, share in the frustration created by the situation.

Despite these attempts, many protesters expressed anger and helplessness, citing harrowing instances where patients’ lives have been put at risk due to erratic power supply.

One of the protesters said: “We are tired of our loved ones suffering; patients are dying because they cannot receive the medical tests needed for treatment.

“The outages have not only hindered immediate medical assessments but have also severely complicated ongoing treatments, leaving families in a state of despair.

“Hospital administration has a responsibility to ensure a safe and reliable environment for both patients and staff”.

The risk of having medical procedures interrupted or delayed due to power failures is unacceptable in any healthcare setting.”

Another protester, Adetumji Lawal, noted that the power outage raises an urgent question: “What measures can be implemented to ensure that power supply becomes a priority for healthcare facilities like UCH?

It was, however, gathered that few hours after the protest, electricity supply was restored to the facility.

All efforts to get in touch with the UCH Public Relations Officer, Funmi Adetuyibi, were unsuccessful as she did not take calls.