The General Hospital, Lagos is a premier General Hospital, in Nigeria. It was established in the year 1893 as a Military Hospital to take care of the British Army that were sick during the Colonial days.

The Hospital was then known as African Hospital but this was changed to General Hospital to curb a riot on discrimination against a black man (Mr. Ivor Commies) a Sierra-Leonian and Mr. Keith a white man who then were staying at Bristol Hotel in the 1950’s. The first set of Nurses trained at General Hospital, Lagos were admitted in 1952. Mr. J. A. Agboola a 71 yr. old man was one of the nurses trained in 1952. He is still alive and lives in his home town of Igbara-Odo in Ekiti State.

During the Nigerian Independence on 1st of October, 1960, the Hospital was handed over to the Federal Government-and upon the creation of Lagos State on the 27th of May, 1967, the hospital was handed over to the Lagos State Government.

The services that were available then included General Out-Patient services, Surgery and Obstetrics and Gynecology. The Obstetrics and Gynecology Department was later moved to Massey Street (Ita Eleiye) where most prominent Lagosians were born.

General Hospital Lagos is situated in Lagos Island Area, a few metres from the Lagoon shore – between the beginning of Broad Street and Marina in high brow business/commercial heartland of Lagos.
It is the foremost of its kind in the country. It was established as a military hospital to take care of members of the British Armed forces that were ill during the colonial days. At its establishment in 1893, it was the first General Hospital in Nigeria. Its initial core staff were from the countries of the British Commonwealth.