Lagos Needs 40,000 More Doctors and N100bn to Fix Health Gaps, Says Sanwo-Olu

Lagos State needs roughly 40,000 additional doctors and at least N100 billion beyond its current health budget to properly serve its fast-growing population, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said, describing the shortfall as a mounting strain on the state's hospitals and clinics.

Speaking at the opening of the second Eko Health Convention at the Oriental Hotel in Victoria Island on August 7, Sanwo-Olu said the state currently has only about 7,000 doctors, meaning each physician effectively carries the workload of roughly ten. He put it bluntly: “Lagos needs about 40,000 doctors to serve this population properly. We have about 7,000.”

The governor linked the shortage to the continued migration of Nigerian medical professionals abroad in search of better pay and working conditions, a trend widely referred to locally as the japa wave, alongside a decline in international donor support that has traditionally propped up parts of Nigeria's health system.

To close the gap, Sanwo-Olu said his administration is pursuing aggressive recruitment for secondary health facilities, improving housing and welfare packages for health workers, and moving forward with plans to establish a dedicated medical university in the state. Officials at the convention framed the funding gap as a call to both government and private stakeholders to expand investment in Lagos's health infrastructure.

Source: Premium Times