Lagos State to Prioritize Welfare of the Vulnerable Residents, Through New Health Insurance Products

Lagos State Government has launched a new health insurance product, ILERA EKO, in order to prioritize the welfare of the vulnerable residents in the state.

The drive behind the new health insurance product is to ensure Lagos residents have access to affordable and quality healthcare irrespective of the health challenges they might be battling with.

This came up after the Federal Government, through the Director-General of Bureau for Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Mr Dasuki Arabi announced that all is set for the creation of a Basic Health Care Provision Fund to enable Nigerians to access free Medicare at the local level irrespective of their ages.

In his words, the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. Ibijoke Claudiana Sanwo-Olu, disclosed that the creation of the new range of plans and expansion of the Lagos Health Insurance Scheme was borne out of the need to cover more health challenges in the state.

It is also aimed to accommodate prevalent medical conditions whilst addressing the economic realities of residents, especially those in the informal sector.

In his words, the state collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which was to conduct actuarial analysis on the existing benefits package, yielded the new development.

He noted that the results of the study informed the design of an improved standard health benefit plan at no additional cost to the enrolled, in addition to the development of other health plans to address the health needs of Lagos residents.

However, the main purpose of the scheme is to prioritize the welfare of the vulnerable in Lagos State, irrespective of their social-economic differences, receives the best and most affordable healthcare services in any of their chosen facilities.

The Commissioner for Health in Lagos State, Prof. Akin Abayomi, urged Lagos residents to seize the opportunity to secure their health when they are still healthy rather than waiting until they are sick, saying the new scheme is a bid to attain universal advancement of the health sector in the state.

Furthermore, the General Manager, Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA), Dr. Emmanuella Zamba, disclosed that the good health of Lagos State residents is the priority of the agency, which makes the new health plans to be affordable to all residents irrespective of their social class.

She also added that the motive behind the new health plan is to include the informal sector, which constitutes about 75 per cent of the population of the State, in the health scheme.