The New Massey Children Hospital being constructed by the Lagos State Government will outlive generations when it is completed, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said on Thursday when he led a team of State officials on an on-site inspection of the project.
The Governor said the seven-storey paediatric hospital sited on Adeniji Adele Road, Lagos Island, would be the biggest children hospital in Africa’s sub-Saharan region, stressing that the scope and quality of the construction work with the ancillary facilities would make the edifice last for centuries.
Sanwo-Olu performed the groundbreaking for the project in April 2021, with the construction fully began in 2022.
The new edifice, when completed, will replace the current 100-year-old Massey Hospital established in 1914 by colonial masters.
The old 85-bed facility is currently experiencing operational inadequacies, struggling to meet the care demands of children due to an increasing number of patients it receives daily.
The pressure on the hospital prompted the State Government’s move to upgrade the facility to meet the needs of the residents. The new Massey Children Hospital will operate on an Independent Power Plant (IPP), and has a 10-floor multi-level car park.
Sanwo-Olu, during the site tour, said the project should be nearing completion by the middle of next year, adding that major civil work would be completed by the end of this year, after which finishing work will start.
He said: “We promised we are going to erect what will be the biggest paediatric hospital in sub-Saharan Africa on a single location. Here is the promise being fulfilled.
The scope of work, the design and the completion stage show the magnitude of what we envisioned. Lagos deserves this project, given the pressure on the current Massey Hospital on a daily basis.
The minimum we can do is not only to restore the glory of the hospital, but also to erect a structure that will last for over 200 years.
“From what can be observed on the site, the structure will certainly last for centuries. We can see that the multilevel car park has got to the required height; the hospital section has one more floor to complete the seventh storey.
The construction is on course and we believe that the project should be nearing completion sometime next year. All the major civil work should be completed by the end of this year, after which finishing work will start.”
Sanwo-Olu said the infrastructure would bolster health care capacity in the State, noting that the facility would not be comparable with others of its type anywhere.
The Governor disclosed that the paediatric hospital was one of major health infrastructure projects being currently developed across the State, pointing out that construction work was being accelerated on others to ensure early delivery.
Sanwo-Olu expressed satisfaction in the commitment shown by contractors and quality of work being done at the site.
“I urge the contractors to double their commitment to the project in order to ensure timely completion. The New Massey Children Hospital project will bring about further regeneration of the entire Adeniji Adele neighborhood when completed,” the Governor said.
