The National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos has raised concern that infrastructure gaps, manpower shortages and rising operational costs are placing increasing pressure on one of Nigeria’s most important specialist orthopaedic and rehabilitation institutions.
According to a report by The Guardian Nigeria, the hospital’s management said the institution is currently operating at around 50% workforce capacity, while monthly electricity costs have risen to between N50 million and N60 million. The hospital also said that completing and equipping its proposed Accident and Emergency Unit expansion would require about N4 billion.
Speaking ahead of the hospital’s 80th anniversary celebration, Medical Director Dr Wakeel Lawal called for stronger support from government, private organisations, philanthropists and development partners. He said the hospital’s long-term goal is to become a globally competitive orthopaedic centre, but that this ambition requires investment in infrastructure, staffing and specialist service capacity.
Founded in 1945 as a rehabilitation centre for soldiers injured during the Second World War, National Orthopaedic Hospital Igbobi has grown into one of Nigeria and West Africa’s leading centres for orthopaedics, trauma care, plastic and reconstructive surgery, rehabilitation and specialised surgical procedures. The hospital’s own website describes it as a 450-bed institution with strong clinic attendance and sustained surgical activity.
The hospital now provides subspecialty services including joint replacement, minimally invasive spine surgery, orthopaedic oncology, sports medicine, deformity correction, plastic surgery and reconstructive care. Lawal said these services have helped reduce the need for some Nigerians to travel abroad for advanced orthopaedic treatment.
For the orthotics and prosthetics sector, the report is particularly significant because Igbobi remains one of Nigeria’s key centres for prosthetic and orthotic service delivery and workforce training. The hospital is linked to the Federal College of Orthopaedic Technology, which trains professionals in prosthetics, orthotics and orthopaedic technology, and The Guardian report noted that the hospital remains one of Nigeria’s major centres involved in fabricating orthotic and prosthetic devices.
The scale of demand is substantial. The hospital serves Lagos, a city of more than 23 million people, while also receiving patients from across South-West Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries. Management said patient inflow has increased because of the hospital’s reputation and clinical outcomes, but that several expansion projects are moving slowly because of inadequate funding.
Planned and ongoing projects include expansion of the Accident and Emergency Unit, expansion of the General Outpatient Department, rehabilitation centre upgrades, oxygen plant completion, nursing classrooms, student accommodation, theatre and surgical facility expansion, and additional staff quarters. The hospital estimated that the General Outpatient Department project would require about N1.5 billion, the oxygen plant about N500 million, and theatre and surgical expansion close to N2 billion.
Power costs have become another major challenge. Although some units have reportedly been solarised internally, Lawal said orthopaedic equipment and hospital facilities require significant energy because healthcare services operate around the clock. For specialist hospitals, unstable or expensive power supply can directly affect theatres, imaging, fabrication workshops, sterilisation, inpatient wards and rehabilitation services.
The hospital also highlighted the pressure of retaining healthcare workers in Lagos. Lawal said staff face higher transport, housing and living costs than colleagues in lower-cost parts of the country, despite uniform national salary structures. He called for special allowances for healthcare workers in high-cost cities such as Lagos.
As part of the anniversary activities, Head of Clinical Services Dr Francis Nwachukwu said the hospital would organise a medical outreach covering malaria screening, blood pressure checks, diabetes and cholesterol screening, basic consultations, and orthopaedic assessments for joint pain, deformities and back pain. Patients requiring advanced orthopaedic care would be referred for further evaluation and treatment.
For rehabilitation planners across the IMEA region, the situation at Igbobi illustrates a wider challenge: specialist orthopaedic and prosthetic services depend not only on clinical expertise, but also on reliable infrastructure, affordable energy, trained personnel and sustainable capital investment. Without these foundations, even long-established national referral centres can struggle to meet growing demand.