Key Points
- The medical education system in Lagos needs expansion because there is a lack of 30,000 doctors in the state.
- The medical infrastructure development will support student enrollment of 2,500 every year.
- The state has included this initiative within its approach to solve the healthcare workforce shortage.
Lagos State faces a severe physician shortage totaling 30,000 doctors and deals with major deficits of nursing staff and pharmacists and dentists and laboratory scientists and other healthcare personnel.
The state government plans to build up medical education facilities for solving the healthcare workforce shortage by expanding student enrollment in important healthcare study programs.
Expanding medical infrastructure
Services under state control handed over medical facilities to contractors who turned them into contemporary academic buildings that include extensions at LASUCOM and renovated CACOVID facilities at IDH and Gbagada General Hospital buildings for educational purposes.
The planned growth of medical student enrollment from 200 students to 2,500 annually during the next five years will provide Lagos with an enhanced capacity to produce healthcare professionals in medicine and nursing professions and dentistry pathway and pharmacy expertise and allied health education.
Response to the Japa syndrome
The Commissioner for Health Prof. Akin Abayomi outlined that this program represents a two-sided approach to address the medical staffing lack that results from the “Japa syndrome” which drives local healthcare specialists to emigrate from Nigeria.
The new initiative would support healthcare worker production through increased student enrollment while delivering quality training that needs proper facilities and qualified teachers and clinical training access.
Through the expansion students will gain access to 1600 more lecture seats alongside 1600 laboratory facilities and 110 spaces dedicated for lecturing personnel.
According to the Dean of Clinical Sciences Dr. Abayomi, both the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and National Universities Commission (NUC) need to grant full accreditation to verify training quality.
Support from government and stakeholders
The Sanwo-Olu government in Lagos state earned high praise when it fast-reacted to the crisis. The Commissioner for Tertiary Education Tolani Sule and Vice-Chancellor of LASU Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello confirm the state’s commitment to healthcare education improvement by emphasizing needed infrastructure modifications for accreditation needs.
As per LASUTH’s Chief Medical Director Prof. Adetokunbo O. Fabamwo the project serves as a fundamental initiative to tackle Lagos’ expanding healthcare requirements.
The initiative works to build a strong medical workforce structure while guaranteeing quality health care service delivery to residents of Lagos state.
