Sanwo-Olu: Lagos has Only 7,000 Doctors, we Need 40,000 More
Last update: August 7, 2026
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Every doctor in Lagos is doing the work of ten people. And according to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, that's not even the worst part.
Here’s the stark reality check from the second Eko Health Convention yesterday.
Speaking at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Governor Sanwo-Olu laid it bare: Lagos needs about 40,000 more doctors and another 40,000 nurses to properly serve its booming population. At the moment, the state has just about 7,000 doctors.
That funding gap? Equally eye-watering. The governor says there’s a shortfall of at least N100bn between what the health budget currently provides and what the system actually needs to function.
And the old safety net is disappearing too.
“Donor financing, which supported much of our disease control for two decades, is contracting sharply and will not return in its old form,” Sanwo-Olu warned, as reported by cbinews.tv.
So, what is Lagos doing about it?
The governor says the state is fighting back with aggressive recruitment – clinical recruitment was opened across all 29 secondary facilities last month – plus new accommodation for health workers and improved welfare packages to slow the japa wave and even lure some colleagues back. There are also plans for a new University of Medicine and Health Sciences.
On the brighter side, the state’s compulsory health insurance scheme, Ilera Eko, is gaining serious traction. More than 1.5 million Lagosians have now enrolled – 1,502,994 as at the end of May, with more than half being women. And people are actually using it.
The Lagos State Health Management Agency’s Assistance in Distress programme, which kicked off in March, has already saved 18 lives – from road traffic injuries and surgical emergencies to obstetric crises and strokes – without asking if they could afford care.
Tech is also part of the prescription. The government is rolling out the Lagos Smart Health Information Platform across public health institutions, so your medical records can follow you seamlessly, plus investing in AI for diagnosis and medical imaging.
As Sanwo-Olu put it: “We have kept our promises. Now we are building the systems that will keep them long after us.”
Credit: cbinews.tv
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