Water Scarcity: Patients Bath, Flush Toilets With Sachet Water At UCH

Patients on admission at the University College Hospital are currently undergoing hardship occasioned by water scarcity in the hospital.

THE WHISTLER gathered from some relatives of patients on admission at the hospital on Wednesday that the water supply had become a very serious problem in the hospital established in 1952 as the teaching hospital of the then University College ( now University of Ibadan).

Patients are said to be buying water to take their bath and to flush toilets to reduce the impact of the water supply problem.

The situation is said to be so bad that the hospital had stopped admitting patents.

The husband of a patient on admission told our correspondent that the situation became so bad since about four days ago.

He said, ” There is water scarcity in UCH now. It is so terrible that we have been buying bags of sachet water for my wife to bath and to flush toilets. Patients contribute money to buy water to flush toilets which they use.

” Although the management explained that they are carrying out renovation of the system and that was said to be responsible for the problem. They should make alternative arrangement for water supply so that patients would not contract other sickness from the place apart from the ones that brought them there.”

The Public Rations Officer of the hospital, Mr Toye Akinola, when contacted told our correspondent that the problem was caused by massive renovation of the hospital.

He said apart from excavating rusted water pipes, the management was carrying out replacement of the window nets, windows and other facilities.

The PRO said, ” The water problem is cause by the massive renovation we are carrying out in the hospital. There are many things that had never been replaced since the hospital was established especially the water pipes, we are digging them out and replacing them.

” This is the cause of the problem and it is going to be a temporary issue. The management is doing all that to serve the patients and other members of the public better.”