Medical doctors at University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, Oyo state have reportedly suspended all surgical operations in the hospital till further notice.
According to DailyPost, sources stated that the reason for the suspension of the surgeries is due to lack of water supply to the hospital.
It was reported that the teaching hospital has been experiencing water scarcity in the last few days.
At the hospital, hundreds of patients on admission and their relatives have had to go through stress for the lack of potable water in the health facility.
Some of the patients who are on admission in the hospital said they buy bags of satchel water to bathe and use the toilets in the hospital.
A relative of one of the patients told the publication on Wednesday that doctors in the hospital told his family member that they have suspended surgical operations in the hospital as a result of scarcity of water.
He said;
Someone who has been on admission at UCH for days just called me now that there has not been water supply to UCH for four days now.
Patients buy bags of satchel water to bath and flush toilet. He is on admission for surgery and because of the water situation, doctors told him no surgery for now.
One of the patients in the hospital expressed that he was admitted on Tuesday but there is no water to bath or use the restroom.
He said, “I was admitted to the haematology daycare unit in UCH yesterday. There was no water to even flush the toilet.”
Speaking about the situation, Public Relations Officer of the hospital, Toye Akinrinlola that the water scarcity was caused by ongoing renovation in the hospital.
He added that the renovation is expected to be completed in the next three weeks, stressing;
When you visited UCH what did you observe? You will observe that there is a massive renovation ongoing. We are replacing the sewage system, that is why we have to shut down some facilities.
When such renovation is ongoing, we have to shut down five blocks. We do not admit patients except for a few critical cases.
The renovation is to be completed in three weeks. The issue of water scarcity that came up this morning is very strange to me. We have shut down our water plant and we cannot bring water from outside because we have our own water treatment plant. The best is for our patients to be patient with us.
The suspension of surgical operations in UCH occasioned by water scarcity comes few hours after the commencement of a planned strike by National Association of Resident Doctors over several unmet demands.
Read Also: Resident Doctors To Begin Indefinite Strike April 1
President Muhamadu Buhari also left Nigeria for a medical checkup in London on Tuesday despite the huge amount of money budgeted for the State House clinic and other health facilities in the country.
