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Patients in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) often lack access to quality health services due to infrastructural gaps, shortage of skilled human resources, inadequate financing for health, and poor insurance coverage.
According to the 2019 Lancet Quality Commission, quality eclipsed access as a driver of survival as about 60% of deaths are due to poor quality of care, compared to 40% from lack of access. The Lagos State Health Scheme (LSHS) popularly called ‘Ilera Eko’ was therefore launched for all Lagos residents towards achieving universal health coverage.
To optimize the quality of services provided to Ilera Eko enrollees, the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) in partnership with PharmAccess Foundation, will expand the internationally accredited SafeCare quality improvement methodology to all empaneled private health facilities. Moreso, this builds on several years of collaboration between the Lagos State Ministry of Health and PharmAccess Foundation on the adoption and implementation of SafeCare standards in all General Hospitals (GHs) and some primary healthcare centers (PHCs) in the State.
The LSHS Quality Improvement Program was formally launched at the sensitization workshop for healthcare providers on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, at Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja GRA Lagos. The Chairman, Board of LASHMA – Dr. Ade Alakija — while giving his welcome address said the implementation of SafeCare standards across all health facilities is in line with the Agency’s mandate to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Lagos State, by improving key health indices through quality healthcare delivery.
Dr. Alakija stated that “the Lagos State Health Scheme (LSHS) Quality Improvement Program will help the State achieve distinction in health service delivery and elevate the impact of the Scheme. This program will explore different dimensions of quality, employ best practices and a proven technical approach to guarantee systemic results across the whole spectrum of the LSHS operations.
“While we are working hard to ensure more Lagosians are enrolled in the Scheme and more healthcare providers empaneled, we want to reinforce our achievements so far by ensuring that every resident of this great State enrolled on the health insurance scheme, irrespective of their location and status, can enjoy the highest attainable standard of health.”
The Country Director PharmAccess Foundation, Mrs. Njide Ndili, who was represented by the Program Director SafeCare, Dr. Ibironke Dada, commended LASHMA management for seeking technical assistance to institutionalize quality in the LSHS network of health facilities, especially private health providers.
She stated: “In 2018, the Lagos State Ministry of Health adopted SafeCare Standards for the Lagos State Health Scheme. Even before the take-off of the Scheme, some public hospitals had started implementing SafeCare in 2017; however, that was not the case in the private sector. So, what LASHMA has done today is unprecedented, because a government agency is paying for private health providers to join the Quality Improvement Program of the State. And we all should appreciate LASHMA for her ingenuity and dedication to promoting a culture of quality improvement in both public and private health facilities serving LSHS enrollees.”
In her presentation, the SafeCare Senior Program Manager, Dr. Anire Asumah, explained that all health facilities will be assessed by Certified Assessors. Following the assessment, each facility will receive an assessment report and a customized quality improvement plan (QIP) to address prioritized deficiencies in infrastructure, processes and technology.
PharmAccess Foundation, Joint Commission International (JCI) and the Council for Health Service Accreditation (COHSASA) created SafeCare standards and quality improvement methodology in 2011. SafeCare is the first internationally accredited standards designed for healthcare facilities in resource-restricted settings, including Sub-Saharan Africa.
