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The Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) has intensified its drive to expand access to affordable healthcare with the commissioning of a new ILERA EKO office in Surulere, reinforcing the state’s commitment to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through grassroots health insurance enrolment.
Commissioning the facility, the Permanent Secretary of LASHMA, Dr Emmanuella Zamba, described the new office as a strategic milestone that will bring social health insurance services closer to residents and eliminate barriers to accessing quality healthcare.
Located within the premises of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) in Surulere, the one-stop centre will enable residents to register for ILERA EKO, enrol in the scheme, update personal records, change healthcare providers, resolve complaints, and access other health insurance services without travelling long distances.
Zamba said the new office underscores the agency’s determination to make healthcare accessible, affordable, and equitable for every Lagos resident, noting that LASHMA has consistently introduced innovative initiatives since becoming fully operational in 2020.
She listed the agency’s interventions to include the ILERA N’ TIWA Cooperative, ILERA EASY PAY, ILERA EKO Telemedicine Service, ILERA IBILE community engagement programme, and LASHMA Assistance in Distress (LASHMA-AID), which provides emergency response services.
According to her, LASHMA has also strengthened its presence across the state through divisional offices in all IBILE divisions, 40 ILERA EKO kiosks, and a network of community mobilisers working to increase enrolment.
The Permanent Secretary reminded residents that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Executive Order, signed on July 16, 2024, made social health insurance mandatory for every Lagos resident, stressing that the government remains committed to ensuring that no one is denied healthcare because of financial hardship.
She urged traditional rulers, religious leaders, market associations, transport unions, artisans, and other community stakeholders to champion the enrolment campaign and ensure that every household joins the ILERA EKO scheme.
“The office is more than a physical structure; it is a symbol of hope, accessibility, partnership and progress,” she said.
Community leaders at the event praised the initiative, describing it as a major step toward improving healthcare delivery at the grassroots.
Representing the Oba of Ikate, Oba Lateef Adams, the Lisa of Ikate, Chief Suab Olayemi, commended the Lagos State Government for expanding access to health insurance and urged residents to take advantage of the new office.
He stressed that health insurance has become essential in protecting families from rising healthcare costs and promised that traditional institutions would intensify awareness campaigns to drive enrolment.
Also speaking, the Bashorun of Ojora and Iganmu Kingdom, Chief Hakeem Ojora, described the facility as a welcome development that would ease residents’ access to affordable healthcare while reducing the financial burden associated with medical treatment.
The Chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC), Surulere Constituency I, Hon. Wemimo Odumosu, said the office would strengthen healthcare delivery across Surulere’s local government and council development areas. He pledged the CDC’s support for sustained community mobilisation and declared that he would be the first resident to enrol at the new centre.
In recognition of his contributions to promoting the scheme, the Chairman of the Farmers Association, Coker-Aguda LCDA, Mr Adebowale Dawodu, was named an ILERA EKO Champion. He pledged to mobilise more farmers to enrol in the health insurance programme, further boosting the state’s drive towards universal health coverage.
