Lagos needs 40,000 doctors, nurses to bridge health workforce gap — Sanwo-Olu

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has disclosed that the state requires about 40,000 additional doctors and another 40,000 nurses to adequately meet the healthcare needs of its growing population.

Sanwo-Olu also said the state’s health sector faces a funding gap of at least N100bn above its current budgetary allocation, warning that shrinking donor funding could further worsen the situation.

The governor spoke on Thursday at the second Eko Health Convention held at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

According to him, shortage of healthcare workers and inadequate funding remain the two major challenges confronting the state’s health system.

“Lagos needs about 40,000 doctors to serve this population properly. We have about 7,000. We need roughly 40,000 more nurses. Every doctor in Lagos today is, in effect, doing the work of 10,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu said the government had intensified recruitment, improved welfare packages and provided accommodation for healthcare workers in an effort to reduce the migration of medical professionals.

He disclosed that clinical recruitment had recently been opened across all 29 secondary healthcare facilities in the state.

The governor also revealed that more than 1.5 million residents had enrolled in the state’s health insurance scheme, Ilera Eko.

He said the number stood at 1,502,994 as of the end of May, with women accounting for more than half of the enrollees.

Sanwo-Olu said increased utilisation of the scheme indicated that residents were translating insurance coverage into actual access to healthcare.

He further disclosed that the Lagos State Health Management Agency’s Assistance in Distress programme had saved 18 lives since its launch in March.

The governor said the beneficiaries included victims of road traffic injuries, surgical emergencies, obstetric crises and strokes.

He also announced plans to establish a University of Medicine and Health Sciences as part of efforts to address the state’s long-term healthcare workforce needs.

Sanwo-Olu said the government was deploying technology through the Lagos Smart Health Information Platform to improve healthcare delivery, disease surveillance and evidence-based planning.

He added that Lagos was exploring artificial intelligence and other digital innovations to strengthen diagnosis, medical imaging and healthcare services.

The governor warned that donor funding for disease control, which had supported Nigeria’s health sector for decades, was declining sharply and would likely not return to previous levels.

He said the state’s focus was therefore shifting towards building sustainable healthcare institutions and systems that would remain functional beyond his administration.

“We have kept our promises. Now we are building the systems that will keep them long after us,” Sanwo-Olu said.