The University College Hospital, Ibadan, has issued a stern warning to its workers, including doctors, cautioning them against boycotting night duties, emphasizing that failing to report for duty poses a risk to the individual.

This warning comes after the hospital workers, operating under the Joint Action Committee, announced plans to suspend night duties due to a power outage caused by the disconnection of electricity supply by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company over an alleged N495 million unpaid electricity bill.

According to JAC Chairman, Oladayo Olabampe, the workers decided to reduce their working hours to between 8 am and 4 pm until electricity is restored. He also threatened a seven-day strike if power is not restored by Tuesday, April 9.

However, there appears to be a disagreement between the JAC Chairman and the hospital’s Public Relations Officer, ‘Funmi Adetuyibi, regarding the planned reduction in working hours.

While Olabampe affirmed the decision to scale down activities, citing the power outage as the reason, Adetuyibi insisted that the hospital’s operations continue 24 hours a day.

In response to the proposed reduction in working hours, Adetuyibi stated, “The hospital work is still running 24 hours. Those on the morning shift have done their work and left, the afternoon workers are currently on duty while those on night duty will soon come around to do their own work. Those on call are also doing their work.”

She further reiterated the hospital management’s position, saying, “The management has written a letter to the union that they don’t want anything like down-scaling of working hours. Everybody should face his or her work. Everybody should be at their duty posts.”

The management’s stance is clear: any failure to report for duty is at the individual’s own risk.

Despite the disagreement between the workers’ union and the hospital management, Adetuyibi assured that patients are still receiving care round the clock, with doctors attending to their needs at all hours.