Health
Badagry residents get free health insurance under ILERA EKO scheme
By Ayoola Babalola
The Lagos State Government has commenced a fresh enrolment drive to provide one-year free health insurance for vulnerable residents in Badagry Division, as part of efforts to expand access to healthcare under its mandatory ILERA EKO health insurance scheme.
The two-day EKO Social Health Alliance Community Storm, organised by the Lagos State Health Management Agency in collaboration with Health District V and the DIDE Foundation, was flagged off at Posukoh Ward in Badagry.
Speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary of LASHMA, Emmanuella Zamba, said the state’s social health insurance scheme had become mandatory for all residents, irrespective of their socio-economic status.
She explained that beneficiaries of ILERA EKO would have access to consultations, treatment for common and chronic illnesses, maternal healthcare, emergency care, surgeries, pharmaceutical services and other essential healthcare services.
Zamba said the EKOSHA Community Storm was designed to take health insurance directly to vulnerable residents by enrolling them on the scheme free of charge for one year.
She disclosed that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had increased the state’s Equity Fund for vulnerable enrolment from N1bn to N3bn and earmarked one per cent of the state’s Consolidated Revenue Fund to sustain the programme.
The permanent secretary urged beneficiaries to make use of healthcare facilities whenever they fall ill instead of resorting to self-medication.
Also speaking, Permanent Secretary of Health District V, Oladapo Ashiyanbi, said residents participating in the outreach would benefit from child immunisation, free health insurance registration, eye and tuberculosis screening, dental care and other medical services.
Chairman of Olorunda Local Council Development Area, Ajose Kumayon, said the council had donated a boat to improve access to healthcare for residents of the Ojogun riverine community, adding that two additional boats would be provided.
The Possu of Badagry Kingdom, Chief Sulaimon Iroko, described the initiative as timely, noting that the high cost of healthcare had made hospital visits difficult for many residents.
He said, “This is a good initiative by the State Government, as going to the hospital is very expensive for a lot of people. With the free health insurance for the vulnerable, there is no doubt that the good health of the people will improve.”
Iroko also encouraged beneficiaries to take advantage of the scheme, saying he had personally benefited from ILERA EKO.
According to LASHMA, the outreach has so far enrolled vulnerable residents in six of Badagry’s 10 wards, including the riverine Ojogun community, while enrolment in the remaining wards will continue.
The exercise also featured the distribution of free WAEC forms to secondary school students in the benefiting communities through the DIDE Foundation.
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