Bed spaces shortage: We will bridge the gap in 18 months — Lagos Health Commissioner
By Sodiq Adelakun
With the rise in cholera cases and population growth of Lagos State, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, has assured residents that the state is working assiduously to address concerns of bed space shortage across health centres in the state.
Speaking at the 2024 Clean-Air Forum in Lagos, Prof.Abayomi acknowledged the shortage of bed spaces in state health centres, but assured that the state is working to address this issue through the construction of modern facilities and the establishment of a medical research institution.
“We will bridge the gap within 18 months to give the public the desired service,” Abayomi said.
He further revealed that the state’s health sector is facing a severe shortage of 30,000 medical doctors, leading to an overstretch of available personnel and a significant gap in the doctor-to-patient ratio.
Abayomi attributed the shortage to brain drain and noted that the state’s annual population growth rate of 6-8 percent has resulted in a complex tuberculosis index, with the state making significant efforts to mitigate its spread.
“Lagos’ daily increasing population comes with huge challenges, and the health sector is not an exception,” Abayomi said.
Meanwhile, The Clean-Air Forum, themed “Advancing Collaborations and Multi-regional Partnerships for Clean Air Actions in African Cities,” aims to raise public awareness about air quality and the impact of pollution.
The event, which has “Advancing Collaborations and Multi-regional Partnerships for Clean Air Actions in African Cities” as its theme, was organised by the University of Lagos, AirQo, the Makerelere University, Uganda with support from the Lagos government.
Speaking on the forum’s theme, the Commissioner decried the negative impact of air pollution and its bearing on the health sector.
He said the state has been facilitating inter-agency collaborations to mitigate the crisis.
“The promotion of air quality and the need to halt environmental pollution in the state is where the collaborative efforts of the agencies are needed,” he said.
The Commissioner emphasised the state government’s commitment to supporting efforts to improve air quality and reduce the rate of air-borne and water-borne diseases.
According to him, the state is in dire need of medical doctors to cater for the increasing medicare of the smart city.
“Lagos annual population growth rate of six to eight percent comes with huge challenges and the health sector is no exception.
“Lagos because of its daily increasing population has a complex tuberculosis index and the state is making a whole lot of impact in this area to mitigate its spread.
“The promotion of air quality and the need to halt environmental pollution in the state is where the collaborative efforts of the agencies are needed.
“As a government, the state will continue to support every effort to sanitise the air in the city in order to reduce the rate of airborne water diseases that bear negative on the health of the residents,” Abayomi narrated.
He said that the shortage of bed spaces in the state health centres had been a concern to the public, adding that the state has been working to tackle it headlong to give patients’ relief.
He said that with the construction of modern facilities across the state and the establishment of its medical research institution, the state would bridge the gap within 18 months to give the public desired service.
