Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday said the state faces a deficit of about 40,000 doctors and another 40,000 nurses, while its health sector requires at least N100bn above current budgetary provisions to meet the needs of its growing population.
The governor also disclosed that more than 1.5 million residents had enrolled in the state’s health insurance scheme, Ilera Eko, as the government intensified efforts to build a sustainable healthcare system.
Sanwo-Olu spoke at the opening of the second Eko Health Convention held at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The governor described the shortage of health workers and funding as the two biggest challenges confronting the state’s healthcare system, warning that donor funding for disease control was shrinking.
“Lagos needs about 40,000 doctors to serve this population properly. We have about 7,000. We need roughly 40,000 more nurses. Every doctor in Lagos today is, in effect, doing the work of 10,” he said.
He added, “The second gap is money. There is a shortfall of at least N100bn between what our health budget provides and what this system genuinely requires.
“Donor financing, which supported much of our disease control for two decades, is contracting sharply and will not return in its old form.”
