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By Doris Obinna
The Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) has announced significant progress in expanding access to healthcare, revealing that its emergency intervention programme, LASHMA Assistance in Distress (LASHMA-AID), has handled 18 life-threatening cases since becoming operational in March 2026.
The agency also disclosed that its ILERA EKO health insurance scheme has enrolled 1.5 million Lagos residents between 2020 and May 2026, while providing critical emergency care to vulnerable residents across the state under an Executive Order (EO) that guarantees stabilisation before payment or proof of insurance is requested.
Speaking at its second-quarter media parley in Lagos on Thursday, the agency’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Emmanuella Zamba, said the emergency programme was launched in December 2025 and had already demonstrated its value in improving access to lifesaving healthcare services. She commended the media for supporting awareness campaigns around the state’s health insurance scheme, ILERA EKO.
Zamba also disclosed that 72 health journalists, together with their spouses and dependents, had been enrolled in the ILERA EKO scheme free of charge for one year following a training programme organised by the agency. She stressed that data, transparency and accountability remain central to the sustainability of social health insurance in Lagos State.
The Permanent Secretary announced that ILERA EKO had enrolled 1.5 million residents between 2020 and May 2026, reflecting steady growth in health insurance coverage. She added that enforcement of mandatory social health insurance across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) commenced on February 1, 2026, while efforts were being intensified to improve participation among informal sector workers.
Presenting the agency’s scorecard, Head of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Mrs. Adetoro Tayo-Adetoro, said enrolment had grown at an average annual rate of about 21 per cent over the past six years. She noted that adults aged between 18 and 60 years constituted the largest category of beneficiaries.
Tayo-Adetoro said healthcare utilisation under the scheme had increased significantly, with more than 1.2 million hospital visits and nearly 40,000 inpatient admissions recorded as of the first quarter of 2026. Services accessed included almost 500,000 fever treatments, 4,833 surgeries, about 60,000 antenatal visits, over 19,000 vaginal deliveries and more than 18,000 caesarean sections.
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She added that beneficiaries had also accessed immunisation, dental care, hypertension and diabetes management, dialysis, tuberculosis screening and HIV testing services. “Telemedicine services available around the clock recorded 1,320 consultations through metro booths across the state this year,” she added.
On the emergency intervention programme, Emergency Care Manager, Dr. Favour Oluwaniyi, said LASHMA-AID managed 18 emergency cases between March and June 2026. She disclosed that road traffic accidents accounted for the highest number of cases, followed by surgical, medical, obstetric, neonatal and stroke-related emergencies.
According to Oluwaniyi, five patients have been discharged while eight are still receiving treatment, mostly due to severe injuries requiring prolonged care. She said the cases were managed through 10 healthcare facilities, with most referrals originating from the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) and designated focal persons in participating hospitals.
Also, Team Lead of the EKO Social Health Alliance (EKOSHA), Mrs. Tawa Oshinowo, highlighted progress under the Rural Health Scheme, which deploys mobile clinics to riverine and underserved communities. She said 6,838 residents had been registered under the programme, while 432 had been enrolled and 190 referred for further medical care.
Oshinowo disclosed that hypertension accounted for 58 per cent of all referral cases, while diabetes also featured prominently among diagnosed conditions. Between January and May 2026, the mobile clinics attended to 438 residents and made 200 referrals, with specialist cases directed mainly to cardiology, ophthalmology, paediatrics, orthopaedics and surgery services.
On grassroots mobilisation efforts, Technical Assistant to the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Nifemi Akinnagbe, said LASHMA had engaged traditional rulers, market leaders, religious organisations and other stakeholders across the state to deepen awareness of the mandatory health insurance policy.
Earlier in his Welcome address, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr. Olarenwaju Bajulaiye, urged the agency to continue publicising its achievements, describing the media as a key partner in promoting transparency and strengthening healthcare delivery across Lagos State.
