More than 1.5 million residents have enrolled in the Lagos State Health Insurance Scheme as the state government intensifies efforts to widen access to healthcare and move towards universal health coverage.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu disclosed the figure at the second edition of the Eko Health Convention in Lagos where he outlined measures aimed at making health insurance more affordable and ensuring that residents are not excluded because of their financial circumstances.
Sanwo-Olu said the expansion of insurance coverage was central to the state’s plan to build a healthcare system that would remain sustainable beyond the tenure of any administration.
READ RELATED NEWS UPDATES
The governor recalled that Lagos domesticated the National Health Insurance Authority Act through an executive order signed in July 2024, making health insurance mandatory across the state.
He said enrolment had increased healthcare utilisation, while the government was also adjusting its financing arrangements to make premiums easier for residents to pay.
One of the measures is the Ilera Eko EasyPay platform which allows enrollees to settle premiums in instalments instead of making a single payment.
The state has also established an Equity Fund to subsidise premiums for vulnerable residents, while its Health Insurance Scheme Assistance in Distress provides emergency patients with access to treatment where insurance or payment issues are yet to be resolved.
Sanwo-Olu said, “Our goal is to ensure that healthcare is not a privilege for a few but a right for every resident of Lagos.”
The insurance drive is being paired with changes in the delivery and management of healthcare services. Sanwo-Olu said Lagos had divided healthcare administration into six Health Districts to strengthen planning, accountability, and access to services.
He also disclosed that the government was deploying the Smart Health Information Platform to connect patient records across primary healthcare centres, general hospitals, and teaching hospitals.
The system, he said, would incorporate electronic medical records, artificial intelligence, and data analytics to support diagnosis, disease surveillance, emergency response, and policymaking.
Sanwo-Olu further pointed to investments in healthcare infrastructure and workforce capacity, with several major hospital projects nearing completion.
Deputy Governor Kadri Hamzat said the decentralisation of healthcare administration had improved planning and community-based service delivery. He said it is one of the administration’s significant reforms.
Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, said the convention provided an opportunity to assess implementation of the Lagos State Health Sector Strategic Master Plan.
The government, however, acknowledged the need for stronger private-sector participation. Sanwo-Olu said public funding alone would not be enough to meet the healthcare demands of Lagos, while the President of the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria, Njide Ndili, pledged the private sector’s willingness to support the state through stronger public-private partnerships.
