Lagos Moves To Make Healthcare Affordable For Indigent Residents

Lagos State government, through the State Health Management Agency, on Wednesday launched a new initiative, Ilera Eko Cooperatives, under the state health scheme to make healthcare affordable for indigent residents.

Ilera Eko is a Health Insurance scheme by the state government for all residents irrespective of status, class, ethnicity or sex.

The permanent Secretary of LASHMA, Dr. Emmanuella Zamba, who disclosed this to journalists at a media briefing held at the Alausa Ikeja area of the state, said the scheme will be officially launched at a ceremony scheduled for next week.

She shed more light on the scheme, saying, “Our goal is to ensure that Ilera-Eko remains at the forefront of public consciousness and that more Lagosians enrol in the scheme. Today, we are excited to share some of our major initiatives, which will further drive health insurance uptake across the state.

“One of these is the Ilera N Tiwa Cooperative.

It is a strategic initiative designed to bring the informal sector on board by providing flexible payment options for Artisans, Traders and low-income earners.

“Another key initiative we will be sharing with you today is the Ilera-Eko Academy, which aims to expand our sales force on the demand side, ensuring that more residents are reached and educated on the benefits of enrolling into the scheme, even taking that a step further to train, our Ilera-Eko providers to become enrollment points for our prospective and enrollees. We also have initiatives to enhance the supply side in terms of quality and provider incentivisation, which we shall also be sharing with you.”

Zamba reiterated that Ilera-Eko is mandatory for every resident of Lagos State, and registration has been made easy for those who have yet to enroll.