Lagos State has officially converted the former CACOVID Centre at Mainland Hospital, Yaba, into a modern academic facility for the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), marking a significant step in its bid to massively expand the training of healthcare professionals.
Health Commissioner Prof. Akin Abayomi made the announcement on Wednesday during the formal handover of the renovated complex. He revealed that the state aims to raise its annual healthcare training capacity from fewer than 500 students to approximately 2,500 within the next four to five years.
Abayomi attributed the move to the urgent need to tackle Nigeria’s shortage of healthcare workers, driven by mass emigration and limited local training slots. “While everyone talks about brain drain, Lagos State is focusing on brain gain,” he said. The strategy, he explained, is designed both to train more professionals at home and to create conditions that encourage skilled Nigerians abroad to return with their expertise.
The repurposed facility has significantly boosted LASUCOM’s infrastructure, adding 315 laboratory positions, 520 lecture seats, and about 169 seminar seats. This expansion will particularly support the training of more pharmacists and other critical healthcare cadres as the state strengthens its health workforce.
Abayomi also disclosed that the Lagos State House of Assembly has already passed the enabling bill for a standalone University of Medicine and Health Sciences, which the government is now working to establish.
LASUCOM Provost Prof. Olufemi Idowu described the development as a welcome boost for the institution. Deputy Provost Prof. Sunday Soyemi noted that the additional space would help resolve roughly 30 per cent of the college’s existing space constraints.
Originally built in 2019 as a COVID-19 isolation centre, the facility has been renovated and expanded into a purpose-built academic environment to support the next