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Tag: Medical University

  • Lagos plan medical university to tackle manpower gap

    Lagos plan medical university to tackle manpower gap

    The Lagos state government has unveiled fresh health priorities for 2026, with the establishment of the Lagos State University of Medicine and Health Sciences topping its agenda to address the acute shortage of medical professionals.

    Health Commissioner Prof. Akin Abayomi, speaking at the 2026 Annual Operational Plan (AOP) top management committee meeting in Ikeja, said the university, already cleared legislatively, would produce more doctors and health workers, retain talents, and woo diaspora professionals back home.

    “Lagos should never be a state where you complain of shortage of healthcare professionals, stressing that deliberate planning and strict budget alignment remain crucial to achieving impactful health outcomes for residents.”

    The Commissioner described the AOP as inseparable from the state’s budget process, warning that any disconnect would amount to “planning to fail.” He urged health leaders to integrate global, national, and grassroots realities into Lagos’ operational strategies for 2026/2027.

    Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, charged health leaders to embrace efficiency, collaboration, and digitalization.

    She noted that Lagos, because of its scale and complexity, often dictates national health directions rather than follows them.

    “Most times, the federal aligns with Lagos, not the other way round,Ogunyemi said stressing that initiatives such as the Smart Health Information Platform (SHIP) and the HOPE agenda must remain at the centre of reforms.

    Read Also: 500 children benefit from Lagos back-to-school outreach

    Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye, decried “lazy planning” and recycling of past budgets. He urged managers to prioritize fewer but more impactful projects backed by evidence and sustainability. “A plan is only useful when it translates into measurable outcomes,” he said.

    Development partners, including The Challenge Initiative (TCI) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), pledged continued support. TCI’s representative, Mrs. Fanimokun Adesola, said the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-backed programme remains committed to strengthening health systems through deliberate and inclusive planning.

    UNFPA’s Dr. Akinkunmi Akinbajo commended Lagos’ coordination framework, noting it prevents duplication of donor interventions. He pledged deeper collaboration in maternal health and family planning.

    The 2026 AOP, anchored on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s THEMES+ agenda, will also prioritize mandatory health insurance, digitalization of services, and robust human capital development to consolidate Lagos’ position as the nation’s health system pacesetter.

  • Medical University, Ondo to hold maiden convocation

    The management of the University of Medical Science, Ondo, (UNIMED) in Ondo State, has disclosed plans to hold the maiden convocation of the institution.

    Five years after it was established, the institution revealed that it would graduate 40 students, in three departments-Physiology, Anatomy and Bio Chemistry, out of which one graduating with first class honours.

    Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Friday Okonuofa, disclosed this while briefing CAMPUSLIFE on activities preceding the maiden convocation of the institution.

    Okonuofa said the school has gone through a very smooth running since its establishment, without any suspension of academic activities which has impacted negatively on the growth and development of the institution.

    He highlighted some challenges facing the institution, stressing the funding as a majore one.

    Okonuta, however, noted that the government had been coming to their aid in the area of accreditation of courses by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

    “Funding has been a major concern. Education is on the concurrent list though, but government has been supportive to meet accreditation requirements as well as payment of salary,” he said.

    The event, which will kick start on November 5 with medical outreach, and convocation lecture to be delivered by former Vice Chancellor,  University of Ibadan, Prof O. A. Bamiro, would end with a grand finale on Friday, December, 13.