Lagos ranked among Nigeria’s best health systems
Lagos State has been recognised as one of Nigeria’s top-performing health systems following a rigorous national assessment, as stakeholders gathered in Ikeja for the Nigeria Health System Exemplar Analysis for Action State-Level Stakeholders’ Inception Meeting.
Organised by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in collaboration with Development Governance International (DGI) Consult, with support from the Gates Foundation and other partners, the event brought together government officials, development partners, researchers, and private sector stakeholders.
Delivering the keynote address, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said the state’s health sector successes could only be fully understood through a comprehensive examination of its entire healthcare ecosystem, particularly the private sector, which provides the majority of healthcare services accessed by residents.
Abayomi noted that government’s responsibility extends beyond the management of public hospitals to include policy formulation, legislation, regulation, public enlightenment, and the creation of an enabling environment for private sector participation.
He stressed that sustained collaboration between the public and private sectors remains essential to improving healthcare delivery.
The commissioner also highlighted the state’s investments in health infrastructure, workforce development, disease surveillance, biosecurity, digital health, public-private partnerships, health insurance, maternal and child healthcare, mental health, and preventive medicine.
Managing Partner of Development Governance International (DGI) Consult, Dr. Gafar Alawode, said the project seeks not only to identify high-performing states but also to understand the policies, strategies, leadership approaches, and implementation mechanisms responsible for their success, with the goal of enabling other states to replicate proven interventions.
Presenting an overview of the study, the Lagos State Lead for the Exemplar Research Project, Dr. Simisola Alabi, explained that the initiative was designed to investigate why some Nigerian states achieve better health outcomes than others and how successful strategies can be adapted and scaled across the country.
