Lagos Assembly moves to upgrade 5 general hospitals

By Sunday Abi
Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have resolved to upgrade five general hospitals to tertiary level in the five divisions of the state. The hospitals include Badagry, Alimosho, Ikorodu, Epe and Lagos Island General Hospitals.
The resolution followed the deliberation on the report submitted by the Chairman of the House Committee on Health Services, Hon. Olusola Sokunle, on Monday.
In the report, Sokunle said the committee carried out a comprehensive investigation on the state of general hospitals across the state to determine the ones that could be upgraded to the tertiary level.
He said that the upgrade would reduce the pressure on the facilities of the Lagos state University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). He also recommended the establishment of Renal and Neuro Departments in the proposed five general hospitals.
He also called for an overhaul of the Primary Health Centres (PHCs) by the state government, adding that the local governments should intensify awareness and sensitisation about the usefulness of the centres in the Councils.
He explained that the land mass, high tech equipment and quality of the medical personnel were part of the consideration before the five general hospitals were chosen.
Debating the report, Hon. Wahab Jimoh (Apapa 2), observed that there was need to consider other general hospitals within the Lagos Island Division, saying that general hospital within the Lagos Mainland axis should be considered.
Jimoh argued that Lagos Island has been saturated with general hospitals that could attend to the medical needs of the people on the Island, adding that general hospitals in Surulere and Lagos Mainland could be considered for the upgrade.
The Chief Whip, Hon. Mojisola Meirada (Apapa 1), argued that aside from the establishment of renal department in the upgraded general hospitals, there should also be a trauma and bone department in each of them, as it would reduce the pressure on the Gbagada Hospital’s trauma facility.
In a related develpment, Hon. Moshood Oshun ( Lagos Mainland 2), made case for the establishment of more general hospitals across the state, saying that instead of converting the five hospitals to tertiary health facilities, more hospitals could be established for easy access by the residents.
Oshun argued that the funds that could be used to upgrade the hospitals could be used to establish new general hospitals in the local governments.
However, the Speaker of the House, Rt (Hon) Mudashiru Obasa, noted that there was need to sustain the glory of the five general hospitals by upgrading them to tertiary health insitutions.
Stressing the need to create synergy among the general hospitals, he equally noted that there was need to collate data so as to determine the necessity of establishing renal specialist hospitals to address renal diseases.