We lost N300million to COVID-19, no yellow fever case, says UCH

TRACKING___University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan says that as the COVID-19 pandemic lurches toward a second year, it has lost over N300 million in terms of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) that should have accrued to the hospital just as it assured that it has not recorded any case of yellow fever.

UCH’s Chief Medical Director, Professor Jesse Otegbayo disclosed this at a press conference to mark the hospital’s 63rd anniversary said the hospital had to practically shut down and reduced the number of staff on duty even as the number of patients coming dropped because of the fear of contracting the infections.

Professor Otegbayo said, “not only were we not generating income, but we are also spending money to buy disinfectant, PPEs, facemasks and all other things that were required, so it was a double loss to the hospital.”

On COVID-19, he stated that a weekly report on the infection at the hospital has not shown that there is a second wave although there is a threat of it.

According to him, the incidence of COVID-19 has not been going down continuously as before and is suggestive of a threat of a second wave.

He added, “this is a nudging for us to continue to put our best into those preventive measures that we know it works and has actually worked for us to tame the infection.”

Professor Otegbayo assured of the hospital preparedness for yellow fever, adding, “in fact the pandemic has made us more than ever before sensitive to all these transmissible and contagious infectious diseases, so we are prepared.”

He also solicited special intervention fund for the government to address issues bordering on ageing infrastructures such as its ageing building and equipping of the hospital with modern and advanced equipment so that the hospital can accomplish its mandates and stem medical tourism.