Lagos State Government have urged the media to help spread the message of health insurance scheme called Ilera Eko, to build more enrollees on the social health scheme.
The Commissioner for Health Prof. Akin Abayomi made this known on Tuesday at the media parley held by the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA), held at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
Abayomi said the government is partnering the media to educate Lagos Lagosians about health financing stressing that it is not at the time you need health that you need to bother about financing it.
He said the burden of wellbeing should not rest on your family and friend, as health is becoming very expensive as we are now having tech-driven health management.
The Commissioner said healthcare is a major consideration for the Babajide Sanwo-Olu dispensation which has made health, the second pillar of its THEMES agenda, aimed at modifying the health scheme to make it affordable to all residents.
He said human health is linked to environmental health which promotes economic wellbeing and social security.
He said the LASHMA which is signed into law in 2015 mandates every one living in the state to register for the scheme to make health available to all without plunging you into poverty.
He said the government has pegged the cost of purchasing a bouquet of healthcare at N8,500 per individual s while a family of six, made up of a father, mother and four children who are below 18 years of age would pay N40,000 per annum.
“The health scheme is for those who can pay but also for those who cannot afford to pay,” Abayomi said.
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Further breaking down the activities of the agency, LASHMA’s General Manager Dr Emmanuelle Zamba said the scheme is a hugely subsidised healthcare management and financing scheme that saves enrollees the stress of plunging themselves into poverty.
She said a total of 526,846 Lagosians have enrolled on the scheme, adding that about 86,458 vulnerable and indigent residents are already onboarded on the scheme.
she said the costs covers about 80 percent of the healthcare needs of the people adding that as it deepens acceptability it would introduce more bouquets.
She said as at today, 48 Primary Health Centres, 25 General Hospitals and 145 Private Hospitals are onboard to offer healthcare management to residents.
She said the agency as part of control measures to ensure quality control of healthcare provision to enrollees, would not hesitate to sanction any errant facilities that failed to perform as they promised.
Highpoint of the occasion was the presentation of cash rewards to winners of LASHMA Mascot competition meant to drive street awareness to the scheme.
The winners are; Oyinkansola Olateju, who won the came first and won the Mascot with an Eagle, the second runner up, Aduniyi Omotola, who drew a Cockrel won N100,000 and Ishola Adebowale who drew a butterfly, winning a N50,000 cash.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy Mr Gbenga Omotoso urged members of the media to enrol on the scheme and ensure that the agency continue to enjoy full benefits of the health insurance scheme.