UI, UCH sign MoU to manage paediatric hospital in Ogun

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by the University of Ibadan and the University College Hospital, Ibadan to jointly manage and run the Otunba Tunwase National Paediatric Centre, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

The hospital, which was built by the Chairman of First City Monument Bank, Otunba Subomi Balogun, was established on March 9, 2004, and was donated to the University of Ibadan in June 2012, The Punch said.

However, the centre was engulfed in a leadership tussle between the UI and the UCH, shortly after Balogun donated it to the varsity.

The FCMB chairman on Saturday presided over the signing of an MoU between UI and UCH.

“When I gave the gift, it was the former Health Minister, Prof. Adenike Grange, who advised that I hand it over to an institution that would continue it beyond my life. The agreement we signed then was only with UI and I was assured that UI would invite UCH for the running of the hospital; but that didn’t happen.

“At the time I was giving the hospital out, I thought UCH was part of UI; that was my mistake. It later dawned on me that UCH is a different body being managed by the Federal Ministry of Health, while UI was being managed by the Federal Ministry of Education,” Balogun said.

The Vice-Chancellor, UI, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, said the administration crisis between UI and UCH had been resolved with the signing of the MoU.