UCH Resident Doctors Begin 3-Day Warning Strike Over Electricity Crisis

ARD-UCH said the College of Medicine axis had been disadvantaged and given the lowest priority by the hospital management for several years.

It added that resident doctors and other health workers living in the area had endured severe hardship due to the prolonged and erratic power supply.

“The situation deteriorated significantly from January 2026 when the circuit breaker supplying the hospital complex became faulty.

“As the least prioritised area, the circuit breaker supplying the College area was sacrificed to keep the main hospital running, and the area was left in darkness without any actionable efforts to rectify the situation,” the association said.

It said that after seven months of enduring the situation, it issued an ultimatum at its Ordinary General Meeting in August.

The association added that this led to the purchase and installation of a new circuit breaker on September 10, resulting in the restoration of electricity after several months of total darkness.

However, it said the relief was short-lived, as another major electrical fault occurred at the hospital on September 20, leading to the removal of the newly installed breaker from the area, which had enjoyed electricity for barely a week.

ARD-UCH said that despite the harsh living conditions, its members had demonstrated institutional loyalty and restraint while appealing to them to exercise further patience.

However, we cannot continue to do so in the face of perceived nonchalance and disregard for the welfare of people residing in this axis.

“The people are being made to suffer inter-institutional bottlenecks between the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, and its landlord, the UCH Management,” it said.

The association said the persistent power outage had also resulted in a chronic water shortage in the residential area.
It regretted that doctors had been forced to source water from private business centres and places of worship within the hospital premises.

It also expressed concern that the hardship posed significant public health risks and threatened the security of lives and property. It further decried what it described as a lack of urgency in the maintenance and repair of hospital facilities.

After exhaustive deliberations, the association said its congress resolved to demand the immediate restoration of electricity to the College of Medicine axis.

It also resolved to embark on a three-day warning strike beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, October 12, to protest the hardship its members had endured.

The association added that its congress would reconvene at the end of the warning strike to deliberate on the next line of action, warning that it might proceed on an indefinite strike.