Ayodeji Ake
The Lagos State Government is developing a three-year strategy to close critical gaps in its primary healthcare system as population growth, malnutrition, workforce shortages and disease outbreaks continue to put pressure on health facilities across the state.
The proposed strategy emerged from a three-day strategic planning workshop organised by the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board (LSPHCB), with support from the World Bank-backed IMPACT Project and participation from chairmen of Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).
The plan is expected to establish a baseline for primary healthcare services across Lagos, identify infrastructure and workforce deficiencies, clarify responsibilities among government institutions and development partners, and provide a costed framework for healthcare investments over the next three years.
Speaking during the workshop, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said primary healthcare remained central to meeting the needs of the state’s rapidly growing population and achieving its long-term development objectives.
Abayomi said sustained investment would be required in infrastructure, medical equipment, human resources and healthcare financing, while the government must also prepare for emerging and persistent public health threats.
“The vision is clear: Lagos must build a resilient PHC system capable of serving today’s needs while preparing for the Lagos of tomorrow,” he said.
Challenges identified during the planning process included population pressure, climate change, infectious disease outbreaks, antimicrobial resistance, malnutrition, non-communicable diseases, drug abuse, brain drain and shortages of healthcare workers.
The Permanent Secretary of the LSPHCB, Dr. Ibrahim Mustafa, described the exercise as a “turning point” for primary healthcare development in Lagos.
He said the workshop was designed to move stakeholders beyond broad policy commitments by identifying specific gaps, prioritising interventions and assigning clear responsibilities.
According to Mustafa, the process would produce “a clear and practical roadmap for strengthening PHC services” while ensuring that investments translate into measurable improvements in healthcare delivery.
He cautioned that the strategy must not end as a planning document, urging stakeholders to strengthen accountability and ensure implementation.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency, Dr Victoria Egunjobi, stressed that expanding physical infrastructure alone would not guarantee functional primary healthcare facilities.
She said facilities must meet standards covering infrastructure, equipment, personnel, electricity, water supply, infection prevention and control, waste management and proper record-keeping.
Egunjobi urged LGAs and LCDAs to collaborate more closely with the regulatory agency to ensure public primary healthcare centres are properly registered and accredited.
“Quality healthcare is a right,” she said, stressing that public facilities should meet standards comparable to those expected of private healthcare providers.
The Director of Planning, Research and Statistics at the LSPHCB, Dr Temitope Balogun-Alo, said the exercise would provide an evidence base for future healthcare spending by assessing existing facilities and determining where investment is most urgently needed.
Meanwhile, Lagos IMPACT Project Manager, Dr Veronica Iwayemi, said the World Bank-supported intervention had contributed to evidence-based reforms and strengthened primary healthcare services.
She, however, stressed the need to sustain the gains achieved beyond the project’s interventions, noting that the involvement of LGA and LCDA chairmen would be crucial to ensuring healthcare improvements reach communities.
The workshop is expected to culminate in a coordinated and costed three-year plan to guide primary healthcare investment and improve access to quality services across Lagos State.