The Lagos State Government has converted the former COVID Centre at Mainland Hospital, Yaba, into an academic facility for the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM).
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, disclosed this during the handover of the renovated facility, saying the project was aimed at expanding the training of healthcare professionals and addressing the shortage of medical personnel.
Abayomi said Lagos plans to increase annual healthcare training capacity from fewer than 500 students to about 2,500 within the next four to five years, partly in response to the migration of health workers and limited local training capacity.
The repurposed facility, which will serve as an annex of LASUCOM, adds 315 laboratory positions, 520 lecture seats, and about 169 seminar seats to the institution’s existing capacity.
The commissioner said the expansion would support the training of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals. He also disclosed that the state was pursuing a standalone University of Medicine and Health Sciences, with the enabling bill already passed by the Lagos State House of Assembly.
The facility was originally built in 2019 as a COVID-19 isolation center but became underused after the pandemic. Its renovation and expansion were approved in December 2024, with construction beginning in March 2025.
LASUCOM Deputy Provost Prof. Sunday Soyemi said the new facility would address about 30 percent of the college’s existing space challenge.
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