The House of Representatives has passed for second reading, the Federal Medical Centre, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State (Establishment, Etc.) Bill 2022.
The lawmaker representing Ibeju-Lekki Federal Constituency in Lagos State at the House, Adebayo Balogun, while leading the debate on the bill, noted that Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area is the largest LGA in Lagos in terms of landmass, which covers 646km2, excluding water.
Balogun also claimed that the LGA currently has the “fastest population growth in Nigeria.”
The lawmaker said, “The importance of quality healthcare service delivery, which must be safe, effective, accessible, patient-centered, efficient and timely, is to provide preventive and curative professional medical advice and services to the citizens, thereby reducing mortality rate, promoting healthy living, reducing mental depression, reducing or preventing unnecessary disability.”
“As the new central hub for business, manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, and tourism in the state, the Local Government (Area) has attracted massive industrial projects like the Dangote refinery and fertiliser plant, Lekki Free Trade Zone, a petrochemical and power plant, a deep-sea port, the fourth mainland bridge, and the new international airport.
“It also has the highest residential and industrial density without commensurate health and safety facilities.”
According to the lawmaker, the urbanisation and industrialisation of the LGA have led to an unprecedented population surge and an unexpected rise in the demand for government-owned hospitals, since the privately owned ones are too expensive and in some cases, they lack professionally trained medical personnel.
He said, “It will interest you to know that the challenge of good, qualitative, and affordable medical healthcare by the people and residents of Ibeju-Lekki has become so worrisome that we had to upgrade one of our healthcare facilities and handed it over to Federal Medical Centre Ebute Metta as their annex to help ameliorate the situation.
“It is pertinent to know that Ibeju-Lekki, which is fast becoming the new economic and industrial hub of the country, is faced with non-availability of hospitals commensurate with the population explosion in the local government area.”
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