LASHMA inaugurates ILERA EKO Surulere office to expand healthcare access at grassroots
The Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) has commissioned its new ILERA EKO Surulere Office as part of its ongoing efforts to bring affordable, quality and equitable healthcare services closer to residents at the grassroots.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremony, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Health Management Agency, Dr. Emmanuella Zamba, described the establishment of the ILERA EKO Surulere office as another significant milestone in the Agency’s commitment to expand access to social health insurance and achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the State.
According to her, the one-stop centre office, located within the premises of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Surulere, is a strategic intervention aimed at ensuring that residents can conveniently register, enrol, update their records, resolve complaints, change hospitals, commend LASHMA and access other ILERA EKO services without travelling long distances.
Dr. Zamba noted that since the full take-off of the Agency in the year 2020, LASHMA has remained committed to expanding access to healthcare, improving service delivery, introducing various innovations which could build trust and transform health insurance in the State.
Some of the innovations, according to her, included the introduction of the various health insurance plans, including ILERA N’ TIWA Cooperative, ILERA EASY PAY, ILERA EKO Telemedicine Service, ILERA EKO, ILERA IBILE community engagement and LASHMA Assistance in Distress (LASHMA-AID), which handles emergency services.
Dr. Zamba said that to deepen grassroots presence, the Agency, aside from operating Divisional Offices in each of the IBILE Divisions in the State, also has 40 ILERA EKO kiosks as well as foot soldiers spread across the State.
She called on traditional rulers, religious leaders, community leaders, market associations, transport unions, artisans and other stakeholders in attendance, to spread the good news of ILERA EKO to everyone in their communities as well as ensure that every household enrols in the Scheme.
In his goodwill message, HRM, the Oba of Ikate, Oba Lateef Atanda Adams, represented by the Lisa of Ikate, Chief Suab Olayemi, applauded the Lagos State Government for its unwavering commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of Lagos residents through innovative social health insurance.
Oba Adams urged community members to take advantage of the newly commissioned office and register en masse on the ILERA EKO Social Health Insurance Plan. He emphasised that health insurance is no longer optional but an important mechanism to safeguard residents against the increasing cost of healthcare and out-of-pocket payments.
