The Lagos State Government has reported that more than 135,000 people are presently infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, emphasising Nigeria’s most populous state’s persistent public health crisis.
Prof. Akin Abayomi, the state commissioner for health, said this on Wednesday during a media conference commemorating the second anniversary of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second tenure.
“135,224 residents are living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV),” Abayomi said, adding that the state government has boosted awareness and intervention efforts by enlisting more than 100 religious leaders as HIV and AIDS ambassadors.
He stated that the presence of faith leaders is intended to reduce stigma and improve community-level outreach.
“We are using trusted voices to drive education, testing, and treatment in our communities,” he said.
In addition to combating HIV, the state gave free cervical cancer exams to 154,228 women and treated 8,613 with thermal ablation.
In addition, it screened 312,927 people for hypertension and diabetes, as well as 300 men for prostate cancer.
“In a population of 30 million, the estimated hypertension prevalence is 20%, and 70% of them are unaware of the disease,” the commissioner noted.
He also disclosed that Lagos has a 12% obesity rate and 6% diabetes prevalence, with half of those affected being unaware of their illness.
Despite these health concerns, the state is experiencing a significant shortage of medical workers.
Abayomi stated that Lagos requires an additional 33,000 doctors and nurses to meet healthcare demands.
“We have 7,000 doctors in the state, but the state needs an additional 33,000,” he said.
To address this, he stated that the Lagos State University of Medicine and Health will produce 2,500 healthcare workers every year over the next five years, including doctors, nurses, and laboratory scientists.
Meanwhile, only 4.17% of registered citizens, or approximately 1.25 million people, have signed up for the state’s health insurance program.
However, Abayomi expressed confidence that the recently passed national health insurance bill will increase enrolment and funding.
“The new mandatory nature of the state health insurance act would significantly scale up the size of the pool of funds,” he said.
He also stated that key health infrastructure projects, such as the New Massey Street Children’s Hospital, the Ojo General Hospital, and the Epe Mental Health Institute, are nearing completion and are scheduled to be operational by April 2026.
