Lagos needs 33,000 more doctors – Commissioner

Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, said the state has a shortfall of 33,000 doctors required to meet the healthcare needs of its over 20 million residents. Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos to mark the second anniversary of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration, Abayomi cited the WHO-recommended doctor-patient ratio of 1:200, noting […]

Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, said the state has a shortfall of 33,000 doctors required to meet the healthcare needs of its over 20 million residents.

Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos to mark the second anniversary of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration, Abayomi cited the WHO-recommended doctor-patient ratio of 1:200, noting that Lagos currently has only 7,000 doctors.

“Nigeria needs about 300,000 doctors, and Lagos alone is short of 33,000,” he said, highlighting the impact of medical brain drain with over 16,000 Nigerian doctors having left the country in recent years.

To bridge the gap, he noted that the Lagos University of Medicine and Health (UMH) aims to produce about 2,500 healthcare workers annually within the next five years.

The commissioner outlined plans to improve healthcare infrastructure, including the construction of climate-resilient health facilities, the development of West Africa’s largest cancer centre in Alausa, Lagos and the launch of three new secondary hospitals in Ojo, Lagos Island, and Ketu-Ejirin.

He emphasised the government’s zero tolerance for preventable maternal deaths, targeting a reduction to 37 deaths per 100,000 births within the next few decades.