The Lagos State Government has revealed that the state requires an additional 33,000 doctors to meet its healthcare delivery needs.
This was disclosed by the Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, during a media briefing held to mark the second year of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term in office.
According to the commissioner, Lagos currently has about 7,000 medical doctors serving a population of over 30 million people.
To address this shortfall, the government has initiated a workforce expansion strategy through the University of Medicine and Health (UMH).
Abayomi stated that the UMH will produce approximately 2,500 healthcare workers annually starting within the next five years.
This pipeline will include doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists and other health professionals required to meet the state’s increasing demand for medical services.
The commissioner emphasized that closing the doctor gap is critical to achieving efficient health service delivery across the public and private sectors.
He added that the state government is also improving healthcare infrastructure and enforcing health insurance enrollment to support broader reforms in the sector.
Additional updates provided by the commissioner included progress on new medical facilities such as the 150-bed New Massey Street Children’s Hospital, the 280-bed Ojo General Hospital and the Mental Health Institute in Epe.
All projects are scheduled for commissioning by April 2026.
The Lagos State Government says it will continue to prioritize human resource development and expand training capacity to meet the long-term needs of its healthcare system.
