L-R: Emmanuel Nnorom - Group CEO, Heirs Holdings; Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, Special Adviser on Health to the Lagos State Governor; Tony O. Elumelu, CFR, Group Chairman, Heirs Holdings; Dr. Awele Elumelu, Chairperson, Avon Medical Practice; H.E. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Executive Governor, Lagos State; Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo, CMD, LUTH & Representative of the Minister for Health; Dr. Akinbiyi Oke, CEO, Avon Medical; Professor Emmanuel Akinola Abayomi, Honorable Commissioner for Health, Lagos State; Chidi Okpala, Group Executive Director, Heirs Holdings; at the launch of the Avon Medical ultramodern facility in Lagos on April 14, 2025
Sanwo-Olu Commissions Avon Medical’s 50-Bed Ultramodern Facility, Calls for Private-Public Collaboration in Healthcare
. Praises Dr. Awele Elumelu’s 16-Year Commitment to Healthcare
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Monday, April 14, 2025, inaugurated Avon Medical’s ultramodern 50-bed healthcare facility in Surulere, Lagos, applauding private sector efforts to bridge gaps in Nigeria’s health sector.
The event, attended by key dignitaries including business mogul, Tony Elumelu, and health sector leaders, marked a milestone in Avon Medical’s 16-year journey—from a single clinic to a multi-facility network offering dialysis, maternal care, pediatrics, and diagnostics.
Governor Sanwo-Olu hailed Dr. Awele Elumelu, Founder and Chairperson of Avon Medical, for her dedication to “patient-centered healthcare,” stating, “She didn’t sit back in comfort but used her profession to create impact where even other arms of Heirs Holdings hadn’t.”
The Governor emphasized collaboration between government and private investors, noting that healthcare requires “patient capital” with long-term societal returns.
“Government cannot do it alone. We must create enabling environments for private players like Avon Medical to thrive,” he said, pledging Lagos’ commitment to allocating 8–10% of its annual budget to health.
He listed ongoing state projects, including sub-Saharan Africa’s largest pediatric hospital on Third Mainland Bridge and a 1,000-bed mental health facility in Ketu-Ejinrin, urging faster completion.
Sanwo-Olu advised health workers on ‘Japa’ to return and build solutions locally. “Let’s reverse the $2 billion spent on medical tourism yearly. This facility proves we can achieve global standards here,” he said, calling on investors to prioritize healthcare real estate.
The Governor challenged stakeholders to “commission bigger facilities tomorrow and beyond,” reaffirming Lagos’ partnership with the Federal Government to establish a new Federal Medical Centre in the state.
Avon Medical, a Heirs Holdings subsidiary, now operates a dialysis center, multiple clinics, and the new Surulere facility—equipped with obstetrics, neonatal, and diagnostic units. Governor Sanwo-Olu termed it “a template for scalable, affordable healthcare.”
The facility launch featured Lagos Health Commissioner, Prof. Akin Abayomi, LUTH CMD Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo, Heirs Holdings CEO Emmanuel Nnorom, and Special Adviser on Health Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi.
