Lagos govt converts COVID-19 isolation centre to LASUCOM

Lagos State Government has repurposed the former CACOVID Centre at Mainland Hospital, Yaba, converting the facility into an academic centre for the Lagos State University College of Medicine, LASUCOM.

The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, disclosed this on Wednesday during the handover of the renovated facility, saying the initiative was aimed at expanding the training of healthcare professionals and helping to address the shortage of medical personnel in the country.

Abayomi said the shortage had been worsened by the migration of healthcare workers and limited capacity for local training, adding that the state planned to increase its annual healthcare training intake from fewer than 500 students to about 2,500 within the next four to five years.

“While everyone talks about brain drain, Lagos State is focusing on brain gain,” he said, noting that the strategy would not only expand local training opportunities but also encourage Nigerian professionals abroad to return with the skills and experience they had acquired.

According to the commissioner, the repurposed facility has added 315 laboratory positions, 520 lecture seats and about 169 seminar seats to LASUCOM’s existing capacity.

He said the expanded infrastructure would enable the institution to train more pharmacists and other healthcare professionals as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s health workforce.

Abayomi also disclosed that the state government was working towards establishing a standalone University of Medicine and Health Sciences, noting that the enabling bill for the institution had already been passed by the Lagos State House of Assembly.

The Provost of LASUCOM, Prof. Olufemi Idowu, described the conversion of the facility as a welcome development.

The institution’s Deputy Provost, Prof. Sunday Soyemi, said the additional space would help address about 30 per cent of LASUCOM’s existing space challenge.

The facility was originally constructed in 2019 as a COVID-19 isolation centre before being renovated and expanded into an academic facility designed to provide a modern environment for the training of healthcare professionals.