Lagos govt disputes claim Alimosho hospital has only one dialysis machine

The Lagos State government has disputed claims that only one dialysis machine is functional at the Alimosho General Hospital, Igando.

Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, made the clarification in a post on X on Sunday, saying all eight dialysis machines at the hospital’s dialysis centre are functional.

PREMIUM TIMES traced the claim to a video posted by Nigerian skit maker and social media influencer Akewusola Oladipupo, popularly known as MC Always, on 17 September.

In the video posted on his Facebook and Instagram accounts, Mr Oladipupo raised concerns about the condition of the dialysis centre, describing it as “in shambles” and “in a state of comatose”.

He said only one dialysis machine was working at the facility and questioned how patients could be adequately attended to with the limited equipment.

Mr Oladipupo also said the hospital’s generator operates from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., while a dialysis session takes at least four hours. He questioned how the centre could serve patients if only one machine was functioning out of what he estimated to be 10 to 15 machines.

“So all the people that have kidney problems in Lagos are in serious problem,” he said. What does it take to fix these machines?” Mr Oladipupo asked, adding that the centre was not accepting new patients and was only attending to existing ones.

Government responds

In his post, Mr Abayomi said the claim that the hospital had only one functional dialysis machine was false.

The post was accompanied by a video showing different sections of the dialysis centre and its machines. Mr Abayomi said the centre has eight dialysis machines and that all eight are working.

According to him, six of the machines serve general dialysis patients, while two are dedicated to patients living with HIV or hepatitis, in line with infection prevention and control measures.

He said dialysis sessions begin as early as 6 a.m. and continue until the last patient is attended to, sometimes until midnight.

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“We run up to 200 dialysis sessions every month,” Mr Abayomi said, adding that the centre has a dedicated standby generator.

The commissioner also listed other public hospitals offering dialysis services in Lagos, including Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), General Hospital Lagos, General Hospital Gbagada, Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH), Yaba, and Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ebute Metta.

Healthcare advocacy

Mr Oladipupo has continued to use his social media platforms to speak about challenges in Nigeria’s healthcare system following the death of his wife from Stage 4 cancer.

During an appearance on TVC in August, he spoke about his wife’s illness and the difficulties his family encountered while seeking care for her.

Since her death, he has used his platform to raise concerns about access to healthcare, the availability of functional medical equipment and the financial burden on patients and their families.

He urged patients and caregivers to speak about their experiences and called for improvements in the country’s healthcare system.