Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, has revealed that Lagos State currently faces a deficit of 30,000 doctors and a significant shortage of nurses, pharmacists, dentists, laboratory scientists, and other allied health professionals.
Speaking, on Tuesday, at the official handover of key medical infrastructure to contractors for conversion into modern academic facilities, Abayomi stated that the government’s response to the severe shortage of human resources for health, exacerbated by the sustained outbound migration of medical professionals is what is driving the conversion of some facilities to modern academic facilities.
Abayomi explained that the expansion is part of a broader two-pronged strategy approved by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to mitigate the crisis. The first approach is to produce more healthcare professionals by increasing student intake, which necessitates a substantial expansion of tertiary education infrastructure.
“The government, under the leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has approved a phased expansion of infrastructure to accommodate an increased intake of students in medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, and allied health sciences. Our target is to scale up annual student admissions from 200 to 2,500 over the next five years,” Abayomi revealed.
He explained the second approach is to ensure that these students receive quality training, requiring accreditation from regulatory bodies. To achieve this, he explained that three critical requirements must be met: adequate space for training, a sufficient number of academic instructors, and access to a diverse patient population for hands-on clinical training.
“Training healthcare professionals is not just about lecture halls; it requires practical exposure in laboratories and patient care settings. Our expansion plan ensures that all these elements are in place,” he stated.
“In healthcare, bigger is always better. It is preferable to have more capacity than to underestimate future needs. The expanded infrastructure will not only support increased student intake but also enhance Lagos’ credibility with accreditation bodies like the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and the National Universities Commission (NUC).”
The commissioner highlighted that the project will provide 1,600 additional lecture theatre seats, 1,600 laboratory spaces, and 110 new office spaces for lecturers and academic staff.
He assured that the Lagos State Infrastructure Asset Management Agency (LASIAMA) will oversee the execution to ensure adherence to the highest construction standards.
Expressing gratitude to Governor Sanwo-Olu and Deputy Governor Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, Prof. Abayomi, commended their swift response to the crisis.
“Their vision and commitment to healthcare and education reform have enabled us to act decisively. In four months, we expect to return here to commission these facilities for academic use,” he concluded.
In his remarks, the Lagos State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Tolani Sule, praised the initiative as a vital step towards addressing the human capital deficit in the health sector.
“Lagos is land-constrained, so we must maximize existing facilities. The Ministry of Health has graciously repurposed underutilized assets to expand medical education infrastructure,” he noted.
