Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has revealed that the state requires about 40,000 additional doctors and 40,000 more nurses to adequately meet the healthcare needs of its rapidly growing population, while estimating a funding gap of at least N100 billion in the sector.
The governor also announced that more than 1.5 million residents have enrolled in the state’s health insurance scheme, Ilera Eko, as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen access to affordable and sustainable healthcare.
Sanwo-Olu made the disclosures on Thursday during the opening of the second Eko Health Convention held at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
He identified inadequate healthcare personnel and insufficient funding as the two major challenges facing the state’s health sector, noting that international donor support for disease control programmes has continued to decline.
“Lagos needs about 40,000 doctors to properly serve its population, but we currently have about 7,000. We also require approximately 40,000 more nurses. That means every doctor presently practising in Lagos is effectively doing the work of about 10 doctors,” the governor said.
Speaking on funding, Sanwo-Olu disclosed that the state’s healthcare system requires far more resources than current budgetary allocations can provide.
“The second challenge is funding. There is a minimum shortfall of N100 billion between what our health budget currently provides and what the system actually requires.
“Donor funding, which sustained many disease control programmes for nearly two decades, is shrinking significantly and is unlikely to return in the same form,” he added.
Despite the challenges, the governor said the
