WorldStage– The Lagos State Government, Nigeria has confirmed that the malaria prevalence in the state has declined significantly in the past 15 years, dropping from 15 per cent in 2010 to two per cent in 2025.
The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi who made this known on Tuesday at the 2026 Lagos State Ministerial Press Briefing in Ikeja said the state was facing a major shortage of healthcare workers.
The briefing was to commemorate the third years of the second term in office of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
He said that Lagos State required additional 30,000 doctors and 40,000 nurses to meet its growing healthcare demands.
He said malaria prevalence in Lagos reduced through sustained reforms and improved healthcare interventions.
“Although malaria prevalence has reduced drastically, it remains a major public health concern because of the large population of Lagos State,” he said.
The commissioner said there had been reforms in diagnostic systems as well as policies discouraging indiscriminate use of antimalarial drugs.
According to him, the state government has promoted evidence-based treatment aimed at reducing excessive medication and improving accurate diagnosis and patient prognosis.
“These reforms are helping us to reduce unnecessary use of antimalarial medicines and curb what we describe as sledgehammer polypharmacy,” he said.
Abayomi said the state was also targeting reduction in antimicrobial resistance associated with medicines used for parasites, bacterial infections and tuberculosis.
The commissioner said that Lagos State Government had about 7,000 doctors at the moment.
He said that inadequate number of health workers could lead to burnout of the available ones.
Abayomi said that the ministry had begun expansion of the Lagos State University College of Medicine across Ikeja, Yaba and Gbagada to boost manpower development.
According to him, the expansion will increase the training capacity of the college.
“We are increasing lecture capacity from 300 seats to about 1,600 seats, while laboratories and academic office spaces are also being expanded significantly,” he said.
The commissioner said the state government had completed a 72-room complex for house officers at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.
He added that staff quarters in Odan, Gbagada and Ojo were nearing completion as part of measures to improve welfare and working conditions for health workers.
“All future medical facilities in Lagos will include staff accommodation close to hospitals to improve convenience and productivity for healthcare personnel,” he said.
Abayomi also said that the Massey Children’s Hospital on Lagos Island was nearing completion, while some general hospitals were undergoing reconstruction or renovation.
He listed some of the hospitals to include the 280-bed Iba-Ojo General Hospital.
The commissioner said the 1,500-bed Mental Health Institute at Ketu-Ejinrin, Epe, had reached 65 per cent completion.
On primary healthcare delivery, Abayomi said 47 primary health centres were undergoing renovation across the state, while some others had been completed.
He said that the state government was committed to strengthening healthcare infrastructure and ensuring disease control, manpower development and access to quality healthcare services.
