The Lagos State Government has disclosed that no fewer than 135,224 residents are currently living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), highlighting the persistent public health challenge in Nigeria’s most populous state.
The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, made this known on Wednesday during a media briefing held to mark the second anniversary of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term in office.
Abayomi explained that the state government has ramped up awareness and intervention programmes by actively engaging over 100 religious leaders as HIV/AIDS ambassadors. He noted that the strategy aims to reduce stigma and improve health outreach at the community level.
“We are using trusted voices to drive education, testing, and treatment in our communities,” the commissioner said.
In addition to HIV intervention efforts, Lagos State has provided free cervical cancer screenings for 154,228 women, treating 8,613 with thermal ablation. The state also conducted prostate cancer screenings for 300 men, and screened 312,927 people for hypertension and diabetes.
Abayomi raised concern about the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, revealing that within the state’s 30 million residents, an estimated 20% live with hypertension, with 70% unaware of their condition. Lagos also records a 12% obesity rate and a 6% diabetes prevalence, with half of those affected yet to be diagnosed.
Despite its efforts, the commissioner highlighted a significant shortage of medical personnel in the state. He stated that Lagos requires an additional 33,000 doctors and 33,000 nurses to adequately meet its healthcare demands.
“We currently have 7,000 doctors, but the state needs about 40,000 to provide the necessary care,” Abayomi said.
To address this gap, he announced that the Lagos State University of Medicine and Health is expected to produce 2,500 healthcare workers annually within five years, including doctors, nurses, and laboratory scientists.
Abayomi also noted the state’s efforts to expand health insurance coverage. So far, only 4.17% of registered residents, around 1.25 million people, have enrolled in the state’s health insurance policy. He expressed optimism that the recently passed mandatory health insurance law would improve enrolment and strengthen healthcare financing in the state.
“The new mandatory nature of the state health insurance act would significantly scale up the size of the pool of funds,” he added.
He further revealed that major health infrastructure projects, including the New Massey Street Children’s Hospital, the Ojo General Hospital, and the Mental Health Institute in Epe, are nearing completion and are expected to be commissioned by April 2026.
