The Lagos State Government has intensified monitoring of major healthcare infrastructure projects, with the 280-bed Ojo General Hospital now about 85 per cent complete and the new 180-bed Somolu General Hospital expected to become a specialised Head and Neck Super-Specialty Centre.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, disclosed this during an inspection tour of the two projects alongside the Special Adviser to the Governor on Works, Dr. Adekunle Olayinka.
Abayomi said the Ojo hospital had entered its finishing stage, with high-tech medical equipment and furniture already ordered. He said the facility was expected to be ready for commissioning by the end of 2026 or the first quarter of 2027.
At Somolu, the Commissioner inspected the new seven-floor, 180-bed hospital, which is currently about 15 per cent complete. He said the project was conceived because the existing 60-bed facility could no longer adequately serve its large catchment population.
The existing Somolu General Hospital will continue providing services while construction continues. According to Abayomi, it will eventually be demolished after the new hospital becomes operational, with the site redeveloped for parking and other support services.
He said the new facility would be designated as a Head and Neck Super-Specialty Centre, providing Plastic Surgery, Maxillofacial Surgery, Ear, Nose and Throat, Ophthalmology and Dentistry, alongside Medicine, Surgery, Paediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Abayomi said the specialisation of general hospitals was part of Lagos State’s strategy to develop centres of excellence and reduce the need for residents to seek specialised medical treatment abroad.
“Over the next five to ten years, we believe that every kind of medical intervention will be available in Lagos in both the public and the private sector, so that outbound medical tourism will stop, and in fact, it will reverse,” he said.
He added that the new hospital designs incorporated renewable energy, low-carbon technologies, water catchment, sewage management, improved patient and staff movement, and infection prevention and control measures.
The Commissioner disclosed that about 107,000 registered patients currently access services at the Somolu facility, while its wider catchment population is estimated at between five and 10 million people.
Olayinka said the inspection confirmed that the Ojo project was about 85 per cent complete, although quality assurance teams had identified minor areas requiring correction by the contractor.
He said the solar installation at Ojo met the required specifications and would provide an alternative power source when the hospital becomes operational.
Olayinka added that construction of the Somolu hospital, which had faced some initial challenges, was now progressing after the issues were resolved. The project is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2027.
The state government said the projects, alongside healthcare financing reforms, compulsory health insurance and plans for a University of Medicine and Health Sciences, were designed to strengthen Lagos’ healthcare system and position the state as a regional destination for specialised medical care.