Nigeria’s First Post-Hospital Care Facility Opens in Lagos

 Mary Nnah

In a monumental leap in the Nigerian healthcare sector, Caring Habitat has officially inaugurated the nation’s first-ever post-hospital care facility in Lekki, Lagos. This ultra-modern haven is specifically designed to cater to patients who are “too sick to go home but too well to remain in the hospital,” revolutionising the continuum of care in Nigeria.

At the highly anticipated opening event on October 23, 2024, the Chief Medical Director of Caring Habitat, Dr. Olaolu Odemuyiwa, unveiled the state-of-the-art 40-room Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Centre.

“Our mission is to transition individuals from dependent to independent living in the shortest possible time, empowering them to reclaim their lives,” he declared.

Caring Habitat’s comprehensive services include physical rehabilitation for stroke, catastrophic illness, post-operative recovery, frailty, debility, and arthritis, as well as expert management of chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic pain, and dementia.

Odemuyiwa, who returned to Nigeria after 30 years of practice in the United States, emphasised the urgent need for more rehabilitation hospitals. He urged state governments to establish facilities within their states and called on the federal government to establish at least one in each geopolitical zone.

Dignitaries in attendance, including Mr. Tokunbo Talabi, Secretary to Ogun State Government (SSG), and Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, director-general, Nigeria Diaspora Commission, praised Caring Habitat’s visionary approach.

Also, Mrs. Kemi Ogunyemi, Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Health, commended the facility for bridging Nigeria’s healthcare infrastructure gap.

Mr. Tokunbo Talabi, Secretary to Ogun State Government and a special guest of honour at the event,  said Caring Habitat came at a time when Nigerians yearned for better health care services. He added that the partnership between the government and the private sector in health would ensure that Nigeria has a very healthy and productive population able to drive the economy to prosperity.

Meanwhile, Dabiri-Erewa, who was also a special guest at the event, urged Nigerians in the diaspora to emulate the good gesture of the Chief Medical Director of Caring Habitat and return home to help build Nigeria not only in the health sector but all other sectors that can help the country achieve inclusive growth and economic prosperity.

Also, Ogunyemi commended the management and staff of Caring Habitat, saying the facility represents a significant stride towards bridging the gap in healthcare infrastructure and expertise not only in Lagos State but Nigeria. 

The pioneering facility is poised to transform Nigeria’s healthcare landscape, offering new hope to patients and families nationwide.