The Lagos State Commissioner of Health, Akin Abayomi, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, said that the health sector of the state is deficient by 30,000 medical doctors to service its needs.
Speaking at the ongoing 2024 Clean-Air Forum in Lagos, Abayomi said the dearth of medical doctors in the state has continued to overstretch the available officials in bridging the gap in the available doctor-to-patient ratio.
The event themed, “Advancing Collaborations and Multi-regional Partnerships for Clean Air Actions in African Cities” was organised by the University of Lagos, AirQo, the Makerelere University, Uganda with support from the Lagos government.
According to the commissioner, the growing brain drain bedevilling the nation has contributed to the personnel deficient.
Speaking on the forum’s theme, the commissioner decried the negative impact of air pollution and its bearing on the health sector.
Bridging the gap
Abayomi said that Lagos State has been facilitating inter-agency collaborations to mitigate the crisis, however, the centre of excellence is in dire need of medical doctors to cater for the increasing medicare of the smart city.
His said, “Lagos annual population growth rate of six to eight per cent comes with huge challenges and the health sector not 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 air born, water diseases that bear negatively on the health of the residents.”
The commissioner noted that the shortage of bed spaces in the state health centres in the state have been of concern to the public.
He added the state government has been working to tackle the concern headlong to give patients relief.
Abayomi also 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 the desired service.
