• Friday, March 29, 2024
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We are yet to receive N118m from Oyo govt to fight Coronavirus, UCH says

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The authorities of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan on Wednesday denied receiving N118 million from the Oyo State government to fight Coronavirus.

Oyo state commissioner for Finance, Akinola Ojo on Tuesday said the sum of N118m is given to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan as support.

Ojo told journalists that the state had spent N2.779 billion in the ongoing fight against COVID-19 while the state government raised N378million cash from willing donors including individuals and corporate organisations.

But the hospital in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Toye Akinrinlola on behalf of the Chief Medical Director, Toye Otegbayo, a professor, said “our attention 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 statement quoted the Oyo State Commissioner of Finance, 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, behooves the Management of the UCH to put the record straight.

“We hereby state emphatically that the University College Hospital, Ibadan did not receive 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 the 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,” it said.