The Lagos State House of Assembly has adopted the recommendations of its Health Services Committee for the proposed upgrade of some general hospitals to tertiary health institutions.
The planned upgrade may benefit five general hospitals, according to the Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, who also stated that secondary health centers established since the 1950s, such as those in Badagry and Ikorodu, should benefit.
The resolution was passed following a discussion of the report submitted by Olusola Sokunle, Chairman of the House Committee on Health Services.
The Chairman stated in the report that the committee went on a fact-finding mission to general hospitals across the state to determine which hospitals could be upgraded to tertiary institutions.
Sokunle stated that improving general hospitals would relieve pressure on the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).
His committee also recommended that renal and neurological departments be established in the proposed upgraded hospitals.
The committee also recommended that the state government overhaul the Primary Health Centres (PHCs), with local governments increasing awareness and sensitization about the centers’ utility.
According to Sokunle, the committee considered land mass, high-tech equipment, and the quality of medical personnel.
However, the Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, stated that the five general hospitals must be upgraded to tertiary health institutions in order to maintain their glory.
He emphasized that synergy can be created among general hospitals, but that regular sensitization is required to make Primary Healthcare Centres more functional.
The Speaker also mentioned the importance of effective data collection in order to gather sufficient information to determine whether a Renal Specialist Hospital should be established.