Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has disclosed that the state requires an additional 40,000 doctors, 40,000 nurses and at least ₦100 billion in extra funding to bridge critical gaps in its healthcare system and meet the needs of its growing population.
The governor made the disclosure on Thursday while declaring open the second Eko Health Convention at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu described manpower shortage and inadequate funding as the biggest challenges confronting the state’s health sector, noting that dwindling donor support for disease control programmes has placed greater pressure on government resources.
He said Lagos currently has about 7,000 doctors, far below the number required to effectively serve residents.
“Lagos needs about 40,000 doctors to serve this population properly. We have about 7,000. We also need roughly 40,000 more nurses. Every doctor in Lagos today is, in effect, doing the work of 10,” the governor said.
On healthcare financing, Sanwo-Olu revealed that there is a funding gap of at least ₦100 billion between the state’s current health budget and what is required to provide quality healthcare services.
He attributed part of the challenge to the sharp decline in donor funding, which had supported disease control programmes for nearly two decades.
“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 stated.
The governor said his administration had intensified efforts to strengthen the health workforce through aggressive recruitment, improved welfare packages and plans to establish a University of Medicine and Health Sciences.
According to him, the state recently commenced clinical recruitment across its 29 secondary healthcare facilities while also providing accommodation and better working conditions for health workers to improve retention and attract professionals back into the public health system.
Sanwo-Olu also highlighted the progress recorded under the state’s compulsory health insurance scheme, Ilera Eko, noting that more than 1.5 million Lagos residents have enrolled since the domestication of the National Health Insurance Authority Act.
He said official records as of the end of May showed 1,502,994 enrollees, with women accounting for more than half of the beneficiaries.
The governor noted that increased utilisation of the scheme indicated that enrollees were accessing healthcare services and not merely registering for insurance coverage.
He further disclosed that the Lagos State Health Management Agency’s Assistance in Distress programme had saved 18 lives since it became operational in March by providing emergency medical care for victims of road traffic accidents, obstetric emergencies, strokes and other critical conditions regardless of their ability to pay.
Sanwo-Olu also reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to digital transformation in healthcare, saying the Lagos Smart Health Information Platform would enable seamless access to patients’ medical records across public health facilities, strengthen disease surveillance and improve evidence-based planning.
He added that the state was deploying artificial intelligence and other digital technologies to enhance diagnosis, medical imaging and overall healthcare delivery.
Reaffirming his administration’s commitment to sustainable healthcare reforms, the governor said initiatives such as Ilera Eko, the health districts and the digital health platform were designed to outlive his tenure.
“We have kept our promises. Now we are building the systems that will keep them long after us,” he said.
