Lagos targets one million enrollees for ILERA EKO insurance scheme

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday inaugurated a special insurance scheme targeting at least one million individuals in the informal sector, noting it is designed to reduce out-of-pocket and huge medical bills.

The event witnessed the launch of the ILERA EKO Standard Jaara Health Insurance Plan and the commissioning of five Virtual Booths to cater to market men and women.

The V Booths are situated at Ketu, Ayetoro, Sabo, Adamo, and Epe markets.

There was also the investiture of the Governor as the Grand Ambassador of Universal Health Care of Lagos State.

Sanwo-Olu said, “The initiatives we are launching today further confirm LASHMA’s long history of improving healthcare accessibility. One of them is the new ILERA EKO Standard Jaara Health Insurance Plan, which offers additional benefits and peace of mind by reducing the financial burden of medical bills. In this plan, we have heavily subsidized the health insurance premium to ensure that everyone can access healthcare.

“I call on the informal sector, which constitutes 70 percent of the population in the State, to seize the opportunity and enroll in ILERA EKO to reduce out-of-pocket and huge payment of medical bills.

“I invite the formal sector also to come on board and ensure that their employees are registered and enrolled in ILERA EKO as this will automatically reduce the expenses of the companies, especially for the payment of medical bills.

“Let me add here that the Enforcement team to handle the implementation of the Lagos State Health Scheme (LSHS) Law and the domestication of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Act has been constituted and trained.

“Even though this administration believes more in enlightenment than enforcement, the law still needs to be implemented and obeyed. Therefore, violators of the law will not go unpunished when the enforcement takes full effect.

“Today, I am delighted that five Virtual Booths, which will provide accessible healthcare to people in the informal sector, are ready for commissioning.

“These booths are designed to bring healthcare closer to the people and expand the reach of LASHMA’s health insurance scheme, ILERA EKO, across the state. It is particularly useful for our hardworking market men and women who usually find it difficult to leave their shops and wares to take sometimes long trips to hospitals when they are sick. They will serve as first-line health services in the different informal business clusters around the state,” the Governor stated.

Chairman of the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA), Adebayo Adedewe, in his address said, “We leverage technology right from the point of registration, uploading on our platform, payment processes, claims processes, and management, up to accessing care at the hospital and identifying the vulnerable in our society. In fact, everything in LASHMA is digitalized. Our 24/7 Customer Service Centre is also not left behind as technology has been deployed to ensure that customers’ complaints are well received, processed, and stored.

“Our success story today is based on the feedback that we received from our customers, especially from the informal sector, either directly or indirectly through our various weekly radio programmes, social media handles, and providers.”

He explained that the commitment to provide quality and affordable healthcare, as well as have a robust benefit package to cope with the medical challenges being faced by the people in the State, is responsible for the new Health Insurance Plan.

“The new Health Insurance Plan, ILERA EKO Standard Jaara, has more benefits than the ILERA EKO Standard Plan, which is our basic Plan. In addition to the benefits enjoyed on the Standard Plan, enrollees on the new Plan will henceforth enjoy annual wellness checks, telemedicine service, and eye surgery (cataract), among others,” he noted.

In an interview with newsmen, the Permanent Secretary of LASHMA, Dr. Emmanuella Zamba, said, “When LASHMA rebranded in 2021, we had some primary care and some secondary care. There are many things in this package that cover you, including cancer care if you have been on this plan for two years. We also have the Standard Plus and our new baby Jaara Plus.”

She added, “The price of the health insurance is very affordable with a package starting at 8,500 for an individual. In the next year, we are thinking of enrolling another one million into the system.”