Lagos Public Hospitals See Thousands of Patients Daily as Patronage Doubles

Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, says public hospitals across the state are now attending to thousands of patients daily as rising healthcare costs push more residents away from private facilities.

Abayomi disclosed this in an interview with ARISE NEWS, saying outpatient patronage at public facilities, including Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikorodu General Hospital and Lagos Island facilities, had doubled over the past six months.

He said the increase was placing significant pressure on doctors and other healthcare professionals already affected by the migration of skilled workers from the health sector.

The commissioner attributed the growing demand partly to the rising cost of healthcare, noting that residents were increasingly shifting from private hospitals to public facilities and, in some cases, informal healthcare providers.

He warned that the combination of increased patient numbers and brain drain was putting medical workers under considerable strain.

Abayomi said the state was therefore moving towards enforcement of compulsory health insurance to strengthen healthcare financing and reduce pressure on government-funded facilities.

He said Lagos domesticated the National Health Insurance Authority Act through an executive order in July 2024, making health insurance compulsory for people living and working in the state.

According to him, the government is restructuring the state’s health insurance system, expanding public awareness and working to ensure that every resident has access to a basic social health insurance package, while incorporating private insurance into the system.

The commissioner said stronger demand-side healthcare financing would increase funds available to healthcare providers, helping to improve their capacity to retain workers and reduce brain drain.

He added that public healthcare remained heavily subsidised by the state, which funds hospital construction, staff salaries, equipment, training, power and other operational expenses.

Abayomi said charges at public hospitals were generally less than half those of private facilities because of the government’s subsidy.