Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu says the state is facing a major healthcare workforce crisis, with a shortage of about 40,000 doctors and another 40,000 nurses, while the sector also requires at least ₦100 billion more than its current budget allocation to meet the needs of the growing population.
The governor made the disclosure on Thursday during the opening of the second Eko Health Convention held at the Oriental Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu identified inadequate manpower and insufficient funding as the two biggest challenges confronting the state’s healthcare system, warning that international donor support for disease control is declining.
According to him, Lagos requires about 40,000 doctors to adequately serve its population but currently has only about 7,000, meaning many doctors are carrying workloads far beyond acceptable levels.
He added that the health sector is also facing a funding gap of at least ₦100 billion between what is currently provided in the budget and what is actually needed to run the system effectively.
The governor noted that donor financing, which had supported many disease-control programmes for about two decades, is shrinking and is unlikely to return at previous levels.
Despite the challenges, Sanwo-Olu said the state had begun taking steps to address the workforce deficit through aggressive recruitment, improved welfare packages and plans to establish a University of Medicine and Health Sciences.
He said clinical recruitment had recently been opened across all 29 secondary health facilities in the state, while accommodation was being provided for health workers in an effort to reduce migration and attract professionals back to the public sector.
On health insurance, the governor disclosed that enrolment in the state’s social health insurance scheme, Ilera Eko, had exceeded 1.5 million residents.
He said that as of the end of May 2026, the number of enrollees stood at 1,502,994, with women accounting for more than half of the beneficiaries.
According to him, increasing utilisation of the scheme shows that residents are not only registering but are also accessing healthcare services through the programme.
Sanwo-Olu also highlighted the impact of the Lagos State Health Management Agency’s Assistance in Distress programme, which he said had saved 18 lives since it became operational in March 2026.
The beneficiaries, he explained, included victims of road traffic accidents, surgical emergencies, obstetric complications and stroke cases.
The governor further announced that the state is deploying technology to improve healthcare delivery through the Lagos Smart Health Information Platform, which is being implemented across public health institutions.
He said the platform would allow patients’ medical records to be accessed across facilities, improve disease surveillance and support evidence-based planning.
Sanwo-Olu added that the government is also investing in artificial intelligence and digital innovation to strengthen diagnosis, medical imaging and overall health service delivery.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to building lasting healthcare institutions, saying reforms such as Ilera Eko, the health districts and the digital health platform are designed to endure beyond his tenure.
According to him, the focus is no longer only on projects but on creating systems that will sustain healthcare delivery for future generations.
