COVID-19: UCH denies receiving N118m from Oyo govt

The University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, has debunked the claim by the Oyo State Government that it gave the hospital N118 million to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The spokesman of UCH, Mr Toye Akinrinlola, refuted the claim in a statement issued on Tuesday in Ibadan.

“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 for Finance, Mr Akinola Ojo, as saying the said amount was released to UCH.

“We contacted some officials of Oyo State for 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,” he said.

Akinrinlola said that the only aid the hospital had received from the state government in the fight against the pandemic was 250 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

He said that all services rendered by the hospital against the dreaded virus were strictly humanitarian.

“The Chief Medical Director of the UCH is a member of the Oyo State COVID 19 Taskforce.

“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 the pandemic through donations from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) which is 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 N118million as claimed by the Oyo State Government,” the spokesman said.

The Oyo State Government had on Monday told newsmen that it had spent N2.77 billion in the ongoing fight against the pandemic.