Barely less than 24 hours after the Oyo State Govenrment revealed how it has spent N2.7 billion on coronavirus pandemic, the University College Hospital, UCH, has refuted claim that it got N118 million from the state.
In a press statement made available to journalists in Ibadan singed by Toye Akinrinlola
Public Relations Officer read this:
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.
