By Michael Olatunji
SUNRISE NEWS, Lagos, Sept 17, 2020 The Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) on Thursday reached out to captains of Micro-finance banks in the state to help take the Lagos State Health Scheme (LSHS) to the informal sector and ensure residents participation of the scheme.
LASHMA’s General Manager Dr Emmanuella Zamba said the partnership is to enlist the buy in of Lagosians and to ensure that as many Lagosians as possible, irrespective of their social status have access to quality healthcare irrespective of their economic status.
Zamba, who was represented by LASHMA’s Director of Finance Mrs Aramide Ojo, said though it is mandatory for all Lagosians or anyone residing in Lagos State to enlist on the social health insurance scheme, the partnership with microfinance institutions would help drive the numbers of enrollees into the scheme.
She said: The focus of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration is to ensure that the about 23 million people who formed the bulk of the vulnerable, poor or the poorest of the poor, all of which constitute the informal sector, are captured and are protected by the state’s health insurance scheme.
She therefore urged microfinance banks to develop products round the scheme and help sell it to their customers, adding that because it is a social service, government has dropped the premium payable to about N8,000 for single persons per annum or N40,000 per annum for a family, made up of father, mother and four children who are their dependants.
Zamba said top range health service providers among them St Nicholas Hospital, and such likes have signed up to state’s health scheme and people who would otherwise not have thought it possible of accessing healthcare in such high profile hospitals are procuring health services in such places.
“What we are putting before you is the brand Lagos and the assurances that the government would do everything to make the health insurance a success. We are assuring you that LASHMA in collaboration with sister health agencies would not fail in sanctioning any healthcare provider that falls short of total quality service for all subscribers to the state’s health insurance scheme,” Zamba said.
Earlier, LASHMA’s Director Business Development and Marketing Mr Rotimi Olatunji said the LSHS prides in the provision of quality healthcare, that is affordable, readily accessible, that promotes equity and solidarity by ensuring that all classes of people can access healthcare and prevent needless deaths.
He said unlike the other healthcare providers that primes on return on investment, the LSHS is a social scheme where every dime would be ploughed back to help the blighted in the society.
Olatunji said because the scheme is limited to anyone living in Lagos, it is imperative for willing subscribers to have the Lagos State Residents Identification Card provided by LASRRA.
President Emeritus National Association of Microfinance Banks in Nigeria (NAMFB), Dr Valentine Whesu commended the government for initiating the health scheme. He assured that his members would key into the scheme and partner with the government in making it a success.
“Let me assure you that all microfinance institutions will key into the product and ensure that all our customers enlist as subscribers of the health insurance scheme.