UCH Ibadan Patients lament high costs of Medical Reports

An unspecified number of patients in the University College Hospital(UCH) Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria have expressed reservations over the high cost of obtaining medical reports.

The patients, who spoke incognito, lamented that they were made to part with N6,000 before they could be issued with the hospital's medical report at the records office.

''We were told that we could only be given a medical report on the payment of N6,000 in these hard times, it is beyond reach,'' they lamented.

However, the hospital's reaction, the Public Relations Officer, Mrs Adetuyibi Obafunmilayo disclosed that the hospital charges N6,000 for medical reports, adding,'' The patient makes a request for a medical report, while all the tests conducted on the patient are in his or her case note. Medical records officers do not write medical reports. It is the duty of medical consultants.''

''Yes, we do charge for our medical reports. The money we charge is N6,000. This forms part of the Internally Generated Revenue(IGR) of the hospital that we use to produce medical reports. The money goes to the Treasury Single Account(TSA). Medical consultants don't collect cash from patients, it is against our policy,'' Mrs. Obafunmilayo stated.

On the Non-Academic Staff Union and Associated Institutions(NASU)UCH branch, the PRO insisted that the Chief Medical Director was not behind the miscreants who invaded and sealed up the NASU office.

''When the issue of NASU election came up, there was a crisis and a report was made by the chairman and a panel was set up. The panel submitted its report and management wrote to the national headquarters of NASU, but they are yet to respond,'' the PRO concluded.