Dr Adesola Pitan is the Permanent Secretary for Health District I, Lagos State Health Service Commission, Nigeria.
A Public Health Physician with expertise in Health Policy & Management, Dr. Pitan previously served as the Medical Director/CEO of General Hospital Lagos, Odan. During his tenure, he was instrumental in driving significant infrastructure improvements and expanding patient access to quality health care. Key achievements during his leadership include the renovation of the stroke ward, renovation of F1 and F2 Wards, facilitation of the renovation and upgrade of C1 and C2 Wards by the Rotary Club of Ikoyi Metro, and a significant increase in private ward capacity from 3 to 21 fully furnished rooms, expanding the hospital’s overall bed capacity from 139 to 250. He also oversaw the construction of a new Laboratory out-patient reception with modern amenities for patient’s comfort, and the relocation of the Radiology department from a makeshift structure to a newly constructed, fully fitted and very conducive space, complete with all amenities required for accreditation of the department for postgraduate training. One of his major accomplishments was his success in facilitating corporate social responsibility (CSR) partnerships with pharmaceutical companies and other organizations to harness resources for the renovation and upgrade of various departments in the hospital, including the ongoing expansion of the Dialysis center from 2 to 10 Units, and the proposed upgrades of the hospital Pharmacy, Casualty and LASEMS Departments.
During his previous four years as Medical Director/CEO of Orile Agege General Hospital (OAGH), Dr. Pitan spearheaded remarkable and award-winning infrastructure and patient-centered service delivery transformations that expanded access to previously unavailable health services, improved the efficiency, effectiveness and quality of services delivered, enhanced patient experience, and made OAGH a beacon of healthcare excellence for medical education and training.
Prior to this, Dr Pitan served as the Deputy Director of Medical Services of the Lagos State Health Service Commission, where he coordinated several strategic capacity building initiatives and training programs for both the core leadership and as well as the 12,000+ workforce in the 30 Lagos state secondary healthcare facilities. He also coordinated the training and deployment of over 1,500 healthcare volunteers deployed for the Lagos state COVID-19 outbreak response. He had also served as the Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Health Matters and in that capacity, he coordinated collaborative efforts amongst healthcare service delivery stakeholders and assisted the government in developing and implementing quality and performance improvement metrics and human capacity development initiatives in the State’s healthcare system, amongst other policy and management roles.
Dr Pitan has both clinical and public health work experiences including at the Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) where he worked as a Research Fellow supporting the work of the U.S. Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF). He has co-authored articles published in peer-reviewed journals, and has also served as Member of the Governing Council of the International Hospital Federation (IHF); Member - American Public Health Association; Member - American Evaluation Association; and Member – Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria (Lagos Chapter), amongst others.
Dr Pitan obtained his MBChB degree from the Olabisi Onabanjo University and earned a Master of Public Health from the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, USA. He is also a Member of the West African College of Physicians, and earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University. He is a recipient of multiple Transformational Leadership Awards from the Office of Transformation Creativity and Innovation/Service Charter (2022, 2023, & 2024), and holds certifications in Quality Improvement, Patient Safety, Leadership, Patient-and Family-Centered Care, and Managing Health Care Operations (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, 2013 & 2019); Healthcare Quality and Safety (Harvard Medical School, 2018); Leadership and Management in Health (University of Washington, 2023); and Healthcare Management Program (Enterprise Development Center, Pan-Atlantic University, 2023).