•Sanwo-Olu commends Fola Adeola, Laoye’s vision
CHIGOZIE AMADI
As Nigeria continues to suffer the effects of brain drain and medical tourism due to a lack of medical facilities and equipment, the Lagos State Government is partnering with private investors to build the best and most modern medical facility in Ikoyi to stem the tide.
Speaking yesterday during the groundbreaking ceremony of the world-class medical facility at Lagos Medipark in Ikoyi, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu commended the Chairman of Iwosan Investments Limited, Mr. Fola Adeola, and the Co-Founder and CEO of the company, Mrs. Fola Laoye for their vision.
The initiative, which is a Private-Public Partnership (PPP), is to build a befitting hospital that addresses the medical challenges plaguing the country.
Speaking at the event, Sanwo-Olu reaffirmed his administration’s steadfast commitment to creating an environment conducive to the growth of both local and foreign businesses.
He said: “It speaks to the real fibre of why we’re in government, which is to create an enabling environment where businesses can thrive, where the private sector can be the true owners of the economy, where they can believe, where you can unlock investment, where people can, for one, trust the government and believe that indeed when you have the right set of people in governance things can also work and work very well.”
The governor recalled: “This journey started in 2020; it’s very easy for all of us to forget when COVID-19 struck. It was such a difficult time for everyone. Everybody didn’t know how things were going to turn out. And they came together.”
“But this place, we said, we can’t do it all by ourselves. And we set up to do things transparently and to expect that the best in class is what we secure.
“And one of the things that I would also say here is that our consortium had kept together for almost three to four years.
Sanwo-Olu continued: “If we cannot, as a people that God has blessed, that our investment has risen, throwback into what will outlive all of us, then we’re not starting it,” Sanwo-Olu noted.
He added: “And I’m saying it publicly again, if there are still waivers, if there are still things that are required for this to go and to do well, we will give it to you.
“Because we need to make the clear case. We need to change the narrative. We need to make our environment investor-friendly. We need to make our environment able to compete with any other environment we find ourselves in.
“My charge to all of us here today is to see that in two years, we’re back here to commission phase one of it,” Sanwo-Olu explained.
In his speech, the initiator of the project and Chairman of Iwosan Investments Limited, Mr. Adeola, described the facility as a vital response to Nigeria’s pressing healthcare challenges.
He stressed that the Lagos Medipark is not merely an investment in infrastructure, but a community-centred initiative aimed at transforming healthcare by bridging gaps in medical access, innovation, and training.
“This project is not just about building a hospital; it’s about creating a community where health and well-being are prioritised.
“We are building a hub for innovation and compassion that will not only benefit Lagos but also empower the healthcare sector across the continent,” he added.
Adeola also noted that the Medipark initiative exemplifies a successful public-private partnership, with capital invested to develop sustainable healthcare infrastructure.
He reassured stakeholders that despite the long-term nature of the project, the returns on investment would be significant.
“As you can see, this mangrove concept ties the entire site together, like a mangrove does within an ecosystem. The imaging building here forms a buffer to the main hospital, which is the blue building. The imaging has x-rays, fluoroscopy, MRI, scanners, CT scanners, ultrasound, mammography, sample collections, and all the laboratory and testing equipment.
“The hospital is blue, which will be in two phases. The hospital on the ground floor will have the main entrance, offices, emergency, huge emergency and the radiation and oncology examination.
“We have four operating theatres. And on the third floor, of course, labour wards, NICU, and ICU,” he explained.
On her part, the Co-Founder and CEO of Iwosan Investments, Mrs. Laoye, described the project as a 40-year design-build-operate-maintain-transfer concession agreement between the IASO consortium and the Lagos State Government.
“The Lagos Medipark is designed specifically to address these gaps. It will feature a 140-bed multi-specialist hospital offering acute care services in areas such as cardiac, renal, and cancer care, as well as surgery, mother and child services, and critical care. The park will also include a state-of-the-art diagnostics centre and other essential support facilities.
“The Medipark aims to reduce the hospital bed shortage, enhance healthcare workforce training, and curb medical tourism. In addition to healthcare, the Medipark will serve as a multifunctional hub, integrating residential spaces, seminar rooms, and commercial offices, creating a community where people can live, work, and access quality care – all in one place,” she added.
In his remarks, the state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said: “We don’t really want to think about a 40,000-bed deficit in Lagos. We are in the digital age. And so, we’ve launched the Lagos State Smart Health Information Platform, which is going to help us to convert some of those beds to virtual beds.”
