In this no-holds-barred interview, Prof Adetokunbo Fabamwo, Chief Medical Director of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), proudly outlined how the institution is redefining public healthcare through a blend of compassion, innovation, and efficiency. From attitudinal training and patient care packs to modernised wards and decentralised service points, he detailed the transformative measures reshaping patient experience—narrowing the gap between expectations and outcomes, and proving that public hospitals can indeed deliver dignified, world-class care. He shared his candid insights with Associate Editor ADEKUNLE YUSUF. Excerpts:
I was appointed Chief Medical Director of LASUTH on the 4th of January, 2019, and since then, I have worked with a clear vision rooted in transformational leadership. This vision was inspired by words spoken to me at an event by the current Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who at the time was still a gubernatorial aspirant. At a gathering organized by friends to mark my appointment, he said to me that a lot would be expected, given my experience in medical administration, and that transformational leadership was what the people of Lagos would be counting on. Those words have stayed with me ever since.
My journey with LASUTH goes way back. I was there in 2001 when the General Hospital, Ikeja, began its transformation into a teaching hospital to serve the Lagos State University College of Medicine. Back then, I was appointed the pioneer Director of Clinical Services and Training. It was my responsibility, alongside the then CMD, Dr. Femi Olugbile, to ensure that the hospital’s facilities met the standards required to train medical students and resident doctors. I held that position until 2007 when I chose to pursue an academic career, which led to my appointment as a professor in 2013. So, when I was called upon to return as CMD in 2019, it was unexpected. But after consultations and encouragement from stakeholders, I accepted the call to serve again.
My predecessors did commendable work—Dr. Femi Olugbile laid the foundation, and Professor Wale Oke, my immediate predecessor, built significantly on it. But we came in determined to push beyond the status quo. We were not content with LASUTH being just a tertiary centre. Our ambition was to elevate it to a quaternary centre—setting it apart from other teaching hospitals in Nigeria. And in many ways, we are already achieving that. On infrastructure, we’ve been very fortunate. We’ve used our networks to attract partners, and we’ve also received tremendous support from the Lagos State Government. One of our first major interventions was the renovation of the Burns and Trauma Unit, which was in a deplorable state. Today, it is fully upgraded.
Our ENT department was also in poor shape—operating from a makeshift shed. That changed with the construction of a modern ENT clinic, fully funded by the government. Another key upgrade was the transformation of the old critical care unit into a Special Services Centre housing a modern dialysis unit, a cardiac catheterisation lab, an endoscopy suite, and a bronchoscopy suite. Beyond government support, we’ve had incredible benefactors. Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, former Deputy Governor and current Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, took special interest in LASUTH and helped us address the age-old “no bed space” issue. Through her office, we received the SDG Multi-Purpose Building, which now houses additional general and private wards, executive suites, family medicine, immunisation and dietician clinics, and an executive dental centre.
She also facilitated the construction of the Paediatric Sickle Cell Centre, a one-stop-shop for the care of children with sickle cell disease. Both structures replaced dilapidated bungalows, reinforcing our strategy of building upward due to space constraints. We’ve also benefited from the generosity of Rotary and Lions Clubs. The Rotary Club of Ikeja GRA gave us a 28-bed relatives’ quartres—an innovation that provides affordable lodging for caregivers. Rotary Club of Maryland built a modern waste-holding bay. The Lions Club of Ilupeju supported the expansion of our diabetes clinic with a new one-storey building.
Several projects are still ongoing. Notably, our Eye Institute extension, a four-storey building now at 65% completion, will ease the heavy patient load we see in ophthalmology. It’s a donation from a private Lagosian who wishes to remain anonymous. We also have the Redeemed Christian Church of God building a four-storey Paediatric Oncology Centre, currently at the third floor. The SDG office is also constructing a luxurious executive suite for high-net-worth patients who would otherwise seek care abroad. They have promised us more—an upgrade of our dental centre into a four-storey facility and expansion of our stroke ward, which sees new patients almost daily. The state government has provided funding to expand our operating theatres from four to ten. This is significant because currently, our surgeons are limited in how frequently they can operate. With this upgrade, productivity and service delivery will increase significantly.
Investing in people and creating a motivated workforce
My philosophy is that a motivated workforce is central to progress. We’ve focused on staff welfare because people can only deliver their best when they are happy and supported. We ensure prompt salary payment in line with Lagos State’s policy. It may seem like a basic expectation, but compared to other states where workers are owed months of salaries, it’s a huge plus. Staff transportation is also a priority. We operate staff buses, although they are due for replacement. During a recent visit, the Head of Service received our request for new ones, and we’re hopeful.
For staff on call, especially those working 24- to 48-hour shifts, we provide meals to prevent them from leaving their duty posts. We also work hard to provide a conducive environment. Our new wards are ultra-modern and fully air-conditioned. For our young House Officers, the government recently renovated their quarters to a standard that ranks among the best in the country—with kitchenette, laundry, and all essential comforts. There’s also ongoing construction of 40 flats of accommodation for our resident doctors. All these efforts are aimed at creating a work environment where staff feel seen, supported, and equipped to deliver top-notch healthcare. In all, everything we’ve done and continue to do aligns with our core mission: to provide transformational leadership and world-class medical care to the people of Lagos State and beyond.
How LASUTH is reshaping public healthcare
This is a public hospital, and because of that, patients’ expectations are very high. People expect to be treated with dignity and compassion, but over the years, public institutions became known for staff with poor attitudes—rude, unprofessional, and lacking empathy. It became a serious issue. So one of the major things we focused on early was attitudinal change. We started regular training for staff to address this head-on. It’s about teaching them empathy and how to treat people with kindness and respect. Because even if you have all the best machines and facilities, if the human interaction is poor, it won’t mean much.
We also made a deliberate effort to make things easier for patients. LASUTH runs a pack system now. When a patient is admitted, they buy a pack that contains everything they’ll need—syringes, gloves, cotton wool, and all that. It’s better than the old way where patients or their relatives had to run around with a list trying to get supplies. Everything is in the pack, and it’s placed right beside the bed. That convenience has been a major win for us and for our patients.
The wards have improved too. Many of them are air-conditioned now. When patients feel physically comfortable, it helps the healing process. A clean, well-ventilated, calm space contributes significantly to recovery. These might sound like little things, but they go a long way. We also looked critically at the patient journey through the hospital. In the past, a patient might have to walk to five or six different units—pay here, go there for a bottle, walk somewhere else to submit the sample. It was frustrating. So we changed that. We’ve decentralised services. If you’re in the emergency unit now, there’s a pharmacy right there. You don’t need to go to the main pharmacy. Same thing with payment stations. These changes have improved our efficiency and patient satisfaction significantly.
Technology, research and the drive for excellence
There had been attempts in the past to introduce hospital automation, but they failed. I inherited one of those failed systems. The board had to cancel the contract. But that didn’t stop us. We started afresh, and we’re doing it step by step. On April 9, we successfully launched automation in the Ophthalmology and Family Medicine departments. It’s working. We took lessons from other hospitals like LUTH, FMC Ebute Meta, and Yaba Psychiatric Hospital. We studied what worked and what didn’t, and we’re applying those lessons here.
Technology has quietly taken over many areas of LASUTH. The entire hospital is under CCTV surveillance. From my office, I can monitor different parts of the hospital. Most of our departments now use computers. The era of typewriters is long gone. We have a strong ICT unit, full internet coverage, and a functioning website that patients and the general public can use to get information. Staff now have access to official emails. We can send out circulars and messages electronically. Communication is faster and more efficient. The Accounts Department has been automated for years. What we’re doing now is integrating that with other departments—Medical Records, Pharmacy, Laboratory—so we can achieve full automation across the hospital. We also have LASUTH Radio, which is an online platform where we broadcast health information. We’re working on getting a proper FM licence so we can reach even more people and spread awareness about health issues.
As a teaching hospital, research is at the heart of what we do. Over 80% of our consultants are academic consultants—they teach and conduct research at the same time. That naturally feeds into our clinical work. We use our day-to-day clinical experience to inform research, and vice versa. Personally, I was part of a team that pioneered the use of uterine artery ligation to treat uterine fibroids. That was ground-breaking. Before then, the only options were hysterectomy or myomectomy. This method was non-invasive, and the results were so impressive it attracted international attention. We won awards for that work. It put LASUTH on the global map.
We have young researchers doing fantastic work. One of our dermatologists is working on the effects of soaps and bleaching creams. She’s taken her research abroad and presented in Switzerland. These are people who are committed to pushing knowledge forward. LASUTH also pioneered kidney transplants in Lagos State. We’ve performed over 100 transplants since we started. Now we’re going even further—we’ve done cadaveric kidney transplants, where the kidney is from a deceased donor. That’s rare in Nigeria. But we’re determined to build capacity in that area.
We’re also one of the few hospitals in Nigeria that perform open-heart surgery regularly. Most people don’t know that. And we’re not just doing the procedures—we’re researching how to make them more affordable so more Nigerians can access this life-saving service. In the area of reproductive health, LASUTH has been doing IVF for over 15 years. And we’re constantly working on how to reduce the cost so that it’s within reach of the average Nigerian couple.
