Lagos targets 3m residents for health insurance

The Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) says it plans to enrol no fewer than three million residents into the state health insurance scheme in the next one year.

The General Manager, LASHMA, Dr. Emmanualla Zamba, said this on Wednesday, during a news briefing to announce the “Ilera Eko” grassroots sensitisation and enrolment drive across the local councils in the state.

Zamba said that the sensitisation and enrolment drive became important because the state government understood that health is wealth.

She said that so far, 527,000 residents had been registered under the insurance scheme and the state hoped to enrol more residents with its “pay small, small” plan, which allows for monthly payment.

According to her, 222 health facilities have been enlisted to attend to enrolees.

The Special Adviser, Office of Civic Engagement, Princess Aderemi Adebowale, said all around the globe, health remained on the priority list of government at all levels, and Lagos could not afford to be an exception.

Adebowale said that the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was focused on ensuring that all the residents of the state had access to quality, equitable and affordable healthcare.

She said that this was regardless of their socio-cultural and economic status, towards the attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the state.

According to her, this has necessitated the government embarking on the building and renewal of health facilities all round the state.

“This has also necessitated the continuous initiation and promotion of various intervention programmes that include the Lagos State Health Insurance Schemes also known as Ilera Eko,” she said.

Adebowale said that LASHMA, in conjunction with the Office of Civic Engagement, had commenced vigorous sensitisation of the grassroots on the Lagos State Health Insurance Scheme (Ilera Eko) in the 20 local government areas of the state.

The Special Adviser said that the aim was to promote the Ilera Eko Health plan, as well as scale up enrolment of Lagos residents on the scheme.