Gov Sanwo-Olu: New Massey Hospital Ready Next Year

Segun James

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has assured residents that the new Massey Children’s Hospital, located on the Island, would be ready next year.

Massey Children’s Hospital, the first paediatric hospital in the country was established over 100 ago before the new reconstruction by the state government.

Sanwo-Olu gave the assurance on Thursday during inspection of work on the site of the largest pediatric hospital in sub-Saharan Africa.

The governor, who expressed satisfaction with the level of work on the site, said: “We are on course, and we believe that we should be nearing completion sometime next year.

“All of the major civil works will be completed by the end of this year and extensive finishing would start.

“Am happy with the commitment and the quality of work that is being done. The multi-level car park has gotten to the required height and the hospital has one more floor and and helipad on top.”

Sanwo-Olu, who recalled very well that the ground-breaking of the edifice was done less than two years ago, said: “We did promise them that we are going to be erecting what will be the biggest paediatric hospital in the whole of the sub-Saharan Africa at a single location.

“You will see for yourselves the magnitude and extent of what is now being and where the contractors are.

“I also undermined the size of this job, but being here on the site gives a full view of the magnitude of what we are trying to put here.”

Affirming that that Lagos deserves the health edifice, the governor said: “The current Massey Children’s Hospital, which is almost 100 years old, the minimum we can do is to not only just bring back that name, but put up a structure that would last for another 200 years.

“I can see from what we are doing here that this setting will last for centuries.”

Saying that it is part of his administration’s promise, Sanwo-Olu noted: “My wish for the residents, especially mothers, fathers and children on Lagos Island is that this is another promise made, another promise kept.

“We are about ensuring that we put infrastructure that will outlive us, we will put facilities that will be comparable to anyone of the size in any part of Africa or indeed in the world.This is one of our major health projects, and there are several of them.”

He noted that there are “several of them, about four, five projects almost of this size bigger that we are doing in different parts of the state.”

“By the end of October and November, we will go round some of these sites, in Ojo, Epe and others, to see where all of these are going to,” he noted

He commended all the consulting engineers, supervising ministries, including work and infrastructure, health, urging them to double their commitments to ensure that the job is done.

“If it’s not completed, it’s not done. It’s only when patients begin to come here and get well that we can say that we have done our job and we have completed it.

“We hope that when we come back here again, we will come to look at the finishing and the proper hospital. It’s going to bring about further regeneration of the entire neighborhood,” the governor added.

Chairman of the Lagos Island-East Local Council Development Government, Alade Folawiyo, said he was happy that the construction of the new Massey Children Hospital was happening during his tenure.

Folawiyo added that it would be a befitting gift to the children of Lagos Island on the centenary of the famous children’s hospital.