Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has revealed that the state is grappling with a severe shortage of healthcare workers, saying Lagos needs an additional 40,000 doctors and 40,000 nurses to adequately serve its rapidly growing population.
The governor also disclosed that the state’s health sector requires at least ₦100 billion above its current budgetary allocation to effectively meet healthcare demands.
Sanwo-Olu made the disclosure on Thursday while declaring open the second Eko Health Convention at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
According to him, Lagos currently has only about 7,000 doctors, leaving each medical practitioner to shoulder the workload of several others.
Lagos needs about 40,000 doctors to serve this population properly. We have about 7,000. We need roughly 40,000 more nurses. Every doctor in Lagos today is, in effect, doing the work of 10,” the governor said.
He identified health workforce shortages and inadequate funding as the two greatest challenges facing the state’s healthcare system, warning that the decline in international donor support for disease control has further compounded the situation.
The second gap is money. There is a shortfall of at least ₦100 billion between what our health budget provides and what this system genuinely requires. Donor financing, which supported much of our disease control for two decades, is contracting sharply and will not return in its old form,” he added.
Despite the challenges, Sanwo-Olu said the state government has intensified efforts to strengthen the health sector through aggressive recruitment of medical personnel, improved welfare packages, and plans to establish a University of Medicine and Health Sciences.
He noted that clinical recruitment has already commenced across the state’s 29 secondary healthcare facilities, while accommodation is being provided to improve the welfare of health workers and reduce the rate of migration abroad.
On health insurance, the governor announced that over 1.5 million Lagos residents have enrolled in the state’s health insurance scheme, Ilera Eko, following the domestication of the National Health Insurance Authority Act.
As at the end of May this year, the figure stood at 1,502,994. More than half are women. Utilisation is rising, which tells us that coverage is translating into actual healthcare and not merely into cards in wallets,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu further disclosed that the Lagos State Health Management Agency’s Assistance in Distress Programme, launched in March, has already saved 18 lives, including victims of road traffic accidents, surgical emergencies, obstetric complications and stroke cases.
The governor also highlighted ongoing investments in digital healthcare through the Lagos Smart Health Information Platform, which will allow patients’ medical records to be accessed seamlessly across public health facilities, improve disease surveillance, and support evidence-based planning.
He added that the state is embracing artificial intelligence and digital innovation to enhance diagnosis, medical imaging and overall healthcare delivery.
Reaffirming his administration’s commitment to sustainable healthcare reforms, Sanwo-Olu said the focus is on building institutions and systems that will outlive his tenure.
We have kept our promises. Now we are building the systems that will keep them long after us,” the governor stated.
