Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, has disclosed that the state faces a critical shortage of doctors, with only about 7,000 physicians available across over 4,000 public and private healthcare facilities, while the state requires 40,000 doctors.
Speaking on Tuesday at the ongoing 2026 ministerial press briefing marking the third year of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu's second term, Abayomi also stated that Lagos needs an additional 40,000 nurses to bridge manpower gaps in the health sector.
"Nigeria currently has about 40,000 doctors at a ratio of one doctor to 5,000 people. The country needs about 300,000 additional doctors, while Lagos requires 40,000 doctors. Currently, Lagos has 7,000. The gap for Lagos is over 30,000 doctors and 40,000 nurses," the commissioner said.
Despite the shortfall, Abayomi noted that Lagos has become an increasingly attractive destination for healthcare professionals due to ongoing reforms and investments in the sector. He added that the state is exploring opportunities provided by medical tourism through its medical park project.
"We are making sure that the health sector is robust enough to manage everything that comes its way," he said.
Abayomi projected that Lagos could emerge as a leading medical tourism destination in Africa by 2052, driven by ongoing reforms, mandatory health insurance, and the state's long-term Universal Health Coverage agenda.
The commissioner added that the administration is repositioning the health sector to effectively respond to emerging challenges such as pandemics, flooding, urban population growth, and other public health emergencies.
He revealed that Lagos State currently operates 34 secondary and tertiary public health facilities, 325 Primary Healthcare Centres, about 3,500 private health facilities, as well as over 10,000 community pharmacies and Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors within the informal healthcare sector.
Abayomi said Lagos is presently ranked among the leading African cities in healthcare delivery and is targeting a place among the continent's top three healthcare destinations. Cities currently ahead of Lagos include Cape Town, Pretoria, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Durban, Algiers, Tunis, Cairo, and Casablanca.
Highlighting the pressure on existing medical personnel, the commissioner stated that doctors in Lagos are overstretched due to the huge population burden. "For every doctor we have in Lagos, they are doing the job of ten," he said.
To address the persistent brain drain in the health sector, Abayomi disclosed that the state government has commenced a series of healthcare financing reforms aimed at improving the welfare, remuneration, and living conditions of healthcare workers, while also creating opportunities for Nigerian doctors in the diaspora to return home.
He revealed that accommodation facilities for medical personnel are being expanded across public hospitals in the state. According to him, a 72-room accommodation complex for house officers has been completed at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), while construction and renovation works are ongoing at other major health institutions.
"We recently completed an accommodation complex for 72 house officers at LASUTH, while work at Odan is ongoing. Staff quarters at Gbagada, Ojo, and LASUTH are nearing completion. Going forward, all new medical facilities will have staff quarters in close proximity," he stated.
Abayomi further disclosed that LASUTH currently has about 120 medical specialists, while general hospitals across the state collectively have about 250 specialists. He stressed that infrastructure development remains central to the administration's healthcare agenda, adding that the government has developed a comprehensive medical blueprint focused on sustainable and renewable healthcare facility designs.
The commissioner maintained that the reforms being implemented by the Sanwo-Olu administration are aimed at building a resilient healthcare system capable of meeting the demands of Lagos' rapidly growing population while positioning the state as a healthcare hub for West Africa.
