UCH is strategically located in Ibadan, which at the time of the hospital’s founding was the largest city in West Africa. Ibadan is also home to Nigeria’s first university. With a population of three million, Ibadan is now the second-most populated city in Nigeria. UCH was initially commissioned with space for 500 beds, but in fact now has a complement of 850 beds.

At its inception in 1948, the hospital had two clinical departments, medical and surgery. Since that time, the hospital has evolved to accommodate about 60 departments, among which is the first Department of Nuclear Medicine in Nigeria, commissioned in April 2006.

The hospital and the University of Ibadan function in excellent symbiosis; it is impossible to think of one without the other in the areas of health workforce training, research and clinical service. This functional interdependence was emphasized from the beginning.

In addition to the undergraduate medical program (based in the College of Medicine of the University of Ibadan), UCH also provides facilities for postgraduate residency training programs in all specialties of internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics & gynecology, pediatrics, otorhinolaryngology, ophthalmology, anesthesia, laboratory medicine, psychiatry, community medicine, general medical practice, radiology, radiotherapy and dentistry. UCH also provides diploma/professional programs in the schools of nursing, midwifery, medical laboratory sciences, and health records and statistics. Tutor courses are offered for environmental health officers, primary health care, community health officers, nurse/midwifery/public health nurse training, and post-registration courses in nursing, e.g., peri-operative nursing and occupational health nursing. UCH also has in-house continuing education programs for nurses and midwives in administration and management, as well as a plaster room technician training program.

UCH is primarily a tertiary institution but it has undertakes community-based outreach activities at Igbo-Ora, Abedo, Okuku, Sepeteri, Elesu and Jago, where the hospital offers secondary and primary health care.

UCH has 56 services and clinical departments, and runs 96 consultative outpatient clinics a week in 50 specialty and sub-specialty disciplines. In addition to the College of Medicine, the hospital houses a Virus Research Laboratory, a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre in Immunology, and an Institute of Advanced Medical Research and Training. The hospital also houses the Special Treatment Clinic, a state-of-the-art clinic for research, training and the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, including clinics for people living with HIV/AIDS. UCH recently received accreditation for a new Department of Nuclear Medicine and the Federal Ministry of Health has also granted approval for an Institute of Neurosciences. A pain clinic and a hospice service are also in place for the care of terminally ill patients.

Since its inception, UCH has trained 6,051 doctors, 501 dentists, 4,513 nurses, 2,307 midwives, 471 peri-operative nurses, 1,062 laboratory scientists, 576 tutors for environmental health officers, 451 nurse/midwife/public health educators, 326 primary health information management personnel (formerly referred to as medical records officers) and 1,394 resident doctors.

Patient visits in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department of the hospital average 6,000 annually, and about 150,000 new cases are seen in the various clinics every year. In 2001, UCH reached the million-patient mark. Due to the aforementioned facilities, manpower and track record, UCH enjoys wide patronage and both national and international collaboration.

UCH, Ibadan has a governance and management structure that essentially consists of a series of departments for each major clinical field. Its Chief Medical Director, assisted by the Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee is responsible to the Board of Management which, in turn, falls under the Federal Ministry of Health. Administrative decisions are taken by the Director of Administration.

Nuclear Medicine Department

The newly established nuclear medicine department, the first ever in Nigeria, has commenced bone-scanning services using radio-pharmaceuticals. This service is available both for medical and oncological diagnosis and treatment. Diagnostic medical endoscopies of both upper and lower gastrointestinal tracts have been performed at the UCH since the 1980s. The newly refurbished endoscopy unit has broadened the range of services that now includes fibro-optic endoscopy of the esophagus.