Sanwo-Olu, Elumelu Harp On Accessible, Affordable Healthcare To Nigerians

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the Chairperson of Avon Medical Practice, Dr Awele Elumelu, yesterday stressed the urgent need to provide accessible and affordable healthcare services to Nigerians.

In his address during the official launch of the Avon Medical Ultramodern Facility in Lagos, Governor Sanwo-Olu said Avon Medical has put its name in the sand of time in the medical sector, not only in Lagos but also in Nigeria.

He urged others in the industry to collaborate with the government rather than pass the buck to the government.

He said, “Health practitioners, health institutions, and health facilities worldwide are not done by one arm of a society alone. Governments can certainly not provide everything for everyone. However, the government must create an environment that enables private equity, private partners, and private investors to make that decision and invest in the health profession.

“It’s not the easiest sector to put money into. It is not the easiest sector you think will make a turnaround in 12 or 24 months. You must have what we call patient investment.

“You must have patient investors that will know that they are solving humankind’s problems. And so, it’s not an investment where you hope to make a return in 6 months or 18 months, and you are wondering what has happened. No.

“If you’re in the health sector, you must be in it long. However, more importantly, you must have the conscience and the sense of purpose to say that you want to help your citizens, help your people, and help our society have a better health outcome at the end of the day.

“So, I am genuinely proud of what Avon Medical has done in the past 16 years. You started as a small clinic and entered the health insurance scheme. But now you have become a complete diagnostic, O&G, and paediatric health facility.

“For you in one location to build a 50-bed, full diagnostics, obstetrics and gyne, full paediatrics, neonatal, and the rest of it means that several levels of specialities have been brought together. And I can see that speciality is also being reflected here by one of our competitors, a medical practitioner who stands here also to be able to deliver.”

Dwelling on the state government’s stride in the sector, the governor said, “We’ve completed and handed over a maternal and paediatric hospital in Badagry. We’ve handed one in Eti Osa by Ajah. We’ve handed over one in Epe and another one in Alimosho. We’re doing extensive construction and development. We’re building one of the largest—and I’m sure LUTH will want to compete with us—one of the most comprehensive facilities in Ojo, rivalling any tertiary institution in Ojo.

“We’re building the largest paediatric hospital in all of sub-Saharan Africa. Suppose you want to climb—and I want people to see the development happening in that facility—if you want to climb Third Mainland Bridge, you’ve got ten floors by the left. That is a hospital. It’s going to be the new Mercy Children’s Hospital.’’

Earlier, Dr. Awele Elumelu, the Chairperson of Avon Medical Practice, declared, “We are building a healthcare system that leaves no one behind.”

Flanked by dignitaries, including the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, the Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Mr Tony Elumelu, and the Chief Medical Director of LUTH, Prof Wasiu Lanre Adeyemo, Dr Elumelu described the launch as “a moment of pride and a deep sense of fulfilment.”

“This is a particularly emotional moment for us at Avon Medical,” she said, adding that, “Because when you understand where we started, you will better appreciate what this moment means—not just for us, but for many families across this country.”

Recalling the genesis of the Avon Medical journey in 2009, Dr Elumelu recounted how the initiative sprang from a desire to make world-class healthcare accessible and affordable—not just for the wealthy or privileged few, but for everyone.

“We saw the problems all around us—overburdened public hospitals, lack of modern equipment, and medical professionals stretched to their limits. Too many people were unable to get the help they needed in time. We could not look away,” she said.