135,000 People Living with HIV in Lagos – Commissioner

The Lagos State Government has reported that over 135,000 residents are currently living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), emphasizing the continuing public health challenge in the state.

The disclosure was made by the state’s Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, during a media briefing marking the second anniversary of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term in office.

He stated, “135,224 residents are living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV),” adding that the state government has ramped up its awareness and intervention efforts.

This includes engaging over 100 religious leaders as HIV and AIDS ambassadors. The involvement of faith leaders is intended to reduce stigma and enhance community-level outreach to better address the issue.

In addition to addressing HIV, the Lagos State Government has also provided free cervical cancer screenings for 154,228 women, with 8,613 receiving treatment through thermal ablation.

Furthermore, 300 men were screened for prostate cancer, while 312,927 individuals underwent screenings for hypertension and diabetes as part of the state’s ongoing health initiatives.

“In a population of 30 million, the estimated hypertension prevalence is 20%, and 70% of them are unaware of the disease,” the commissioner noted.

Professor Akin Abayomi also revealed that Lagos has a 12% obesity rate and a 6% prevalence of diabetes, with half of those affected being unaware of their condition.

Despite these ongoing health challenges, the state is facing a significant shortage of medical personnel, with a need for an additional 33,000 doctors and 33,000 nurses to adequately meet healthcare demands.

“We have 7,000 doctors in the state, but the state needs an additional 33,000,” he said.

To address the shortage of medical personnel, Professor Abayomi mentioned that the Lagos State University of Medicine and Health is expected to produce 2,500 healthcare workers annually within five years, including doctors, nurses, and laboratory scientists.

He also highlighted that only 4.17% of registered residents, approximately 1.25 million people, have enrolled in the state’s health insurance policy.

However, he expressed optimism that the recently passed mandatory health insurance law would help increase enrollment and secure funding to improve the state’s healthcare system.

“The new mandatory nature of the state health insurance act would significantly scale up the size of the pool of funds,” he said.

Professor Abayomi also reported that several major health infrastructure projects are nearing completion. These include the New Massey Street Children’s Hospital, the Ojo General Hospital, and the Mental Health Institute in Epe.

He stated that these facilities are expected to be commissioned by April 2026, which will significantly enhance the state’s healthcare capacity.