The Lagos State Government has renewed its drive toward universal health coverage, pledging strict enforcement of the Executive Order signed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in July 2024, which makes health insurance mandatory for all residents.
At a high-level retreat held Thursday at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island, the Head of Service, Mr. Olabode Agoro, joined by the Body of Permanent Secretaries, vowed to lead the implementation of the directive through the state-backed health scheme, Ilera-Eko.
Agoro underscored the urgency of health insurance uptake, warning that out-of-pocket payments continue to impoverish residents, many of whom sell assets or resort to unsafe alternatives when struck by medical emergencies.
“Universal health coverage is the foundation of a healthy and productive Lagos,” he said. “No society can thrive without healthy citizens.”
He also pointed to measures already taken by Governor Sanwo-Olu, including a 75% subsidy on annual premiums for civil servants and their families, free one-year coverage for retirees, and huge investments in health infrastructure across the state.
Chairman of the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) Board, Dr. Adebayo Adedewe, described the retreat as a platform to align ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) with the enforcement mandate, adding that Lagos had already grown enrolment from just 100,000 residents in 2020 to over one million through innovations such as instalment payment options, telemedicine, cooperative-driven enrolment, and cross-border partnerships.
He praised the governor for making the state’s Equity Fund a first-line charge, calling it “unprecedented in Nigeria,” but warned that poor service delivery in some hospitals still undermines public trust.
The Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, commended Lagos as the national model for health insurance, urging the state to scale up enrolment from one million to at least five million residents. He cautioned that enforcement must be matched with quality service and public trust: “Insurance is not a tax. If we enforce without delivering quality care, people will vote with their feet.”
Permanent Secretary of LASHMA, Dr. Emmanuella Zamba, said every MDA would now host a LASHMA desk and embed enrolment links on their websites to make registration seamless. She also described Ilera-Eko as one of Nigeria’s most comprehensive packages, covering primary, secondary, and parts of tertiary care, including maternity services.
Other Permanent Secretaries — including those from the Ministry of Health, the Primary Health Care Board, Establishments and Training, and Wealth Creation — reaffirmed their commitment to mainstreaming enrolment in their programmes, from job fairs to civil service training.
At the event, the HOS was decorated as an Ilera-Eko Ambassador, while selected Permanent Secretaries were named Ilera-Eko Champions for driving enrolment within their MDAs.
The retreat ended with a collective pledge for inter-MDA collaboration to expand coverage, enforce the Executive Order, and make health insurance a non-negotiable part of life in Lagos.