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By Doris Obinna
The Lagos State Government has intensified efforts to enforce compulsory health insurance for residents from 1 January 2027, as the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) moves to secure the support of private healthcare providers for the policy.
To ensure compliance, LASHMA has strengthened its partnership with the Healthcare Providers Association of Nigeria (HCPAN), Lagos State Branch, urging healthcare providers to make the necessary arrangements ahead of the commencement of enforcement.
The Permanent Secretary of LASHMA, Dr Emmanuella Zamba, gave the charge when the newly elected HCPAN executives, led by their chairman, Dr Abimbola Julius Adekoya, paid a courtesy visit to the agency in Ikeja.
Zamba said enforcement of mandatory social health insurance followed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s directive and Executive Order No. EO/BOS/01 of 2024, signed on 16 July 2024, to guarantee residents access to affordable healthcare without financial hardship.
She said the policy was designed to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure, encourage early utilisation of healthcare services and strengthen the pooling of healthcare resources, while providing healthcare providers with a more predictable flow of patients and revenue.
She stressed that healthcare providers were central to the success of the policy, noting that enrolment alone would not guarantee its effectiveness without access to quality and timely services.
Zamba recalled that Section 5 of the Executive Order requires residents and workers to possess valid social health insurance coverage before accessing services at public and private healthcare facilities in the state.
However, she clarified that Section 6 provides for the stabilisation of patients in life-threatening emergencies without demanding proof of health insurance coverage.
She urged HCPAN to mobilise its members and ensure their compliance before the January 2027 enforcement deadline.
Responding, Adekoya pledged the association’s commitment to working with LASHMA to strengthen the ILERA EKO scheme and advance universal health coverage in the state.
He proposed regular stakeholder meetings and the establishment of a joint working committee to identify implementation challenges, develop solutions and monitor progress.
Adekoya said healthcare providers remained critical to the sustainability of the health insurance scheme, reaffirming HCPAN’s readiness to serve as a dependable partner in improving healthcare delivery.
The association’s immediate past president, Dr Jimi Arigbabuwo, also pledged support for the policy, promising to mobilise healthcare providers across the state to ensure effective implementation of the Executive Order.
At the meeting, LASHMA officials briefed the HCPAN delegation on updates to the Executive Order, provider-led enrolment, the responsibilities of healthcare providers, quality of care and the LASHMA Assistant-In-Distress (LASHMA-AID) initiative.
