By Yinka Aderibigbe
The Lagos State Commissioner of Health Prof. Skin Abayomi, on Thursday said the government will unveil, before the end of the first quarter 2021, a crowdfunding initiative, aimed at making quality healthcare accessible to the indigents at the grassroots in the state.
He made this known while speaking at the Year 2020 Universal Health Coverage Day, organised by the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) in Lagos, at the First Lady’s Event Hall, State House, Lagos.
According to him, though the idea behind LASHMA, is to enroll all those who can payfor their health care needs, the challenge have remained to make healthcare free or affordable to the majority of the people.He said this informed the need to partner with LASHMA’s financial partners to embark on crowdfunding to bridge the existing huge health gaps in the state.He said government remains committed to establishing virtual clinics as either standalone units or supported by mobile clinics, even as it envisions the strengthening of telemedicine units and or supported by mobile clinics.
The Commissioner said the government intends to register and enrol one million households which translates, approximately, to three million residents in Lagos in the first 18 months of the new drive.
He said crowdfunding will ensure greater participation as the indigent who formed over 70 percent of the population would be able to be enrolled and enjoy the benefits of quality healthcare from the government.
He disclosed that since it’s establishment five years ago, only 437,000 residents, including 40, 721 children, have enrolled with LASHMA, a poor representation of the state’s 20 million population.
He said because the civil servants are mandated to enlist on the scheme they made up 87 percent of the enrollees which did not reflect the intent to get the public, especially the indigent to participate in the scheme.He said LASHMA, which promotes the government’s ILERA EKO scheme, has gotten a N350 million equity fund from the Sanwo-Olu administration, through which the government has been able to address the healthcare needs for the orphans and the very elderly.
“As a person living in Lagos, what you need to do is to enroll in the scheme, either as an individual or a family, choose a hospital facility to enrol in, and start enjoy free medical services once you have been assigned to the hospital of your choice.”We are determined to ensure that the we make this scheme attractive to Lagosians because of our commitment to affordable healthcare for all,” he said.
Delivering her keynote address, wife of the Governor Dr (Mrs) Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu said the theme of this year’s Universal Health Coverage Day (UHC) health for all coming on the heels of the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic is aimed at ensuring that all people and communities have access to all services aimed at promoting preventive, curative health services without ditching them further the slide of poverty.
The First Lady who was represented by Dr Bola Balogun, a retired Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce said, the Sanwo-Olu administration is committed to ensuring access to free healthcare for the majority of the people, especially the indigent residents of the state.
Mrs Sanwo-Olu also seized the occasion to launch the Sexual Violence Intervention Fund (SVIF) which is aimed at providing intervention fund for sexually violated women.She said the Fund intends to provide succor especially against the trauma of sexual violation, a worrisome development which gets even worse due to hardship induced by poverty.
She said to the fund will be introduced next year as her office is almost concluding with some financial partners on the modalities of the fund.
Mrs Sanwo-Olu commended LASHMA for initiatives aimed at taking the social safety net healthcare to the grassroots. She urged Lagosians to come round and enrol in the scheme aimed at making quality healthcare available at the least cost to the people.
The Regional Coordinator Southern Nigeria for Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), formerly DFID, Dr Olachi Chuks-Ronnie said the FCDO would be happy to collaborate with the state government in making healthcare more accessible to residents.
She said COVID-19 pandemic has exposed long standing gaps in healthcare around the world and makes the case for universal health coverage more pertinent.She called for increase in health funding and improved efficiency in budget spending.
LASHMA Board Chairman Dr Adetokunbo Alakija urged all Lagosians to enrol on the LASHMA scheme in order to enjoy the best healthcare services available in the state at the least cost.
According to him, quality healthcare is not tradable commodity, but one that must be made available to all by government at the least personal cost.
He said if all persons enlist on the scheme the dream of, and challenges associated with healthcare financing would be a thing of the past.
Earlier, the most and General Manager LASHMA, Dr (Mrs) Emmanuelle Samba said the agency is committed to improving the quality of care and provide financial risk protection against catastrophic and impoverishing healthcare spending for all residents of the state through mandatory health insurance scheme that is based on the principle of equity and solidarity.
Mrs Zamba who said health financing may erode personal financing and make a person poor, said LASHMA will continue to engage all citizens and stakeholders with the aim of ensuring that all gets the benefit of health financing that would not have any debilitating effect on their person or social status.