***Commissioner order registeration of all stranded antenatal patients; doctors blame workforce shortage, mass exodus of healthcare workers
By Florencemary Nwabueze
LAGOS — Pregnant women seeking antenatal care at the Mother and Child Hospital (MCC) on Ogombo Road, Lekki, Lagos were left stranded and sent home on 13th of October 2026, after hospital staff enforced a policy of attending to only 45 patients per week, a practice reportedly in place for over a year.
The government owned facility, established to provide maternal and infant care for families in Eti-Osa, has long been regarded as one of Lagos State's best hospitals, attracting large numbers of patients due to its modern facilities, emergency services, and specialist gynecological care. However, the hospital's receptionist confirmed that management had capped weekly antenatal registrations at 45 for more than 12 months.
Three administrative staff member explained that even if 100 women arrived as early as 6 a.m. for registration, only 45 would be attended to, with the rest turned away.
Frustrated patients described a recurring ordeal. One pregnant woman said, "This is my third time coming here, and they will tell me that the number has reached 45 and I should go home and come back another week."
Another said, "I am tired of coming here. They ask me to come early. I got here at 6:40 a.m., and they are telling me the number is finished."
Another said, " I am relocating to the island. I took a bus by 5am from mainland and got here 7am, only to be told to come back next week that the number is finished. It's just frustrating. All my transportation wasted."
More than 30 pregnant women were left stranded at the facility. While many went home, others remained, pleading to be attended to.
A nurse who clashed with the pregnant women defended the 45-patient limit, saying, "Do you know our workforce capacity? Do you know our strength? We take 45 because that is what we can attend to."
The situation drew the attention of Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Emmanuel Akinnola Abayomi, who swiftly intervened after being contacted. He reached out to the hospital's Managing Director, Dr. Femi Aletan, who apologized and summoned the hospital management to address the matter.
Management subsequently addressed the women, offering an apology and denying knowledge of the policy. They ordered nurses to register all the women immediately.
"We are very sorry for what happened here today. We only ask our women to come early so we can finish early. We didn't say we will only attend to 45 people. Everyone here today will be registered."- a representative told the women.
Speaking to The Warden News, a doctor at the hospital identified as Dr. Sariki attributed the crisis to a severe shortage of healthcare workers. "Our biggest problem is workforce. I have to come all the way from the mainland every day. There are no healthcare workers living on the island. Accommodation is very expensive. If the government can provide us with accommodation within the hospital, maybe build housing for us, it will ease the stress. If we don't finish here on time, we won't be able to get home on time. We are only a few workers here. I declined a job offer from Saudi Arabia recently, and I pray I don't regret it."
The doctor also called for reforms in medical education. "The cut-off mark to admit students to study medicine in the university is too much. Schools need to create room to train more healthcare workers."
Dr. Aletan, the Managing Director, pointed to the mass exodus of healthcare workers from Nigeria as the root cause. "Our biggest problem is the mass exodus of healthcare workers from Nigeria to other countries. We have only a few healthcare workers left in Nigeria. It is seriously affecting our working system. The salary they are being offered outside the country and the workers' benefits are pushing them out. If the government can make the same offer here, I believe they will stay."
The registration process continued late into the day, with women still waiting to be registered as of 4 p.m.