Lagos Targets 3,000 Annual Health Graduates in ‘Brain Gain’ Strategy

LAGOS, Nigeria – The Lagos State Government plans to increase annual admissions into health-related programmes from 500 to 3,000 over five years as part of a strategy to address healthcare workforce shortages and curb the emigration of medical professionals.

Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, disclosed this on Monday in a post on X, describing the initiative as a shift from the widely discussed problem of brain drain to a deliberate effort to build and retain local talent.

He attributed the shortage of healthcare professionals to years of inadequate workforce production, population growth and the continued migration of skilled workers abroad. “While others discuss brain drain, Lagos State is implementing a Brain Gain strategy: expanding local training and reforming healthcare financing to align demand and supply with global economic realities and international standards,” Abayomi said.

He added that the initiative was designed to reduce emigration and encourage skilled professionals to return to Nigeria, a trend he described as “Japada”.

Abayomi said the Lagos State House of Assembly had passed a bill to transform the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) into a standalone University of Medicine and Health Sciences, to be known as LASUMAH.

According to the commissioner, the new institution is expected to expand training opportunities in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry and laboratory science, increasing annual admissions from 500 to 3,000 over five years.

Abayomi said cross-subsidisation would be used to protect vulnerable residents while improving the sustainability of healthcare services. The government is also preparing 30 general hospitals, more than 300 primary healthcare centres and 10 maternal and child centres to support clinical training.

About the Author

Mirian Gom

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Gom Mirian is a Nigerian journalist and editor at Africa Health Report (AHR), with more than a decade of experience covering health, development, humanitarian issues and public-interest affairs across Nigeria and Africa. She holds a Master’s degree in Economics and has additional training in data analytics, combining evidence-driven reporting with compelling human-centred storytelling. Her work examines the intersection of health, policy, economics, technology and social change, with a particular interest in how global decisions and emerging challenges affect communities across Africa. Her journalism has received professional recognition, including a Nestlé Award nomination for human-interest reporting. Follow her on X @mirian_linus.

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