LASHMA wins best state health insurance agency award for third time

In recognition of its outstanding health insurance service delivery in Nigeria, the Lagos State Health Management Agency has won the Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Award 2026 State Government Health Insurance of the Year.

LASHMA won the prize during the award ceremony themed “Innovation, Local Manufacturing and Digital Transformation in Healthcare” held at EKO Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, recently.

Before winning the 2026 prize, LASHMA won the award in 2023, shared with Katsina State in 2025.

Presenting the award to the LASHMA Permanent Secretary, Dr. Emmanuella Zamba, the former and retired Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Femi Olugbile, congratulated LASHMA for winning the award.

He urged LASHMA to intensify efforts to ensure that more innovations, which could accelerate achieving Universal Health Coverage, are developed.

Olugbile reminded LASHMA that more work is required from the agency in ensuring that Lagos residents have unhindered access to affordable, quality, and equitable healthcare services.

In her response, Zamba appreciated NHEA for deeming the agency fit as the winner of the award.

She applauded the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, the Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, Honourable members in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Local Government Chairmen, partners, philanthropists, and other stakeholders, for supporting LASHMA in achieving the feat.

Zamba also thanked Lagos residents and everyone who voted for the agency.

She promised that LASHMA would do its best to ensure that Lagos residents have access to affordable, quality, and equitable healthcare services, irrespective of their socio-economic status.

In his welcome address during the event, the Chairman, Advisory Board of NHEA, Dr. Anthony Omolola, said that the NHEA Award, established in 2014, is a platform dedicated to celebrating excellence, leadership, and outstanding performance in the health sector.

He added that the 2026 edition, which is the 12th NHEA award, was to reward remarkable men and women whose dedication had continued to strengthen the healthcare system despite the challenges facing the nation.

Congratulating the nominees for the highly competitive selection, he said that being nominated for the various categories of the awards indicated an outstanding and excellent achievement and has also clearly demonstrated a performance worthy of national recognition.

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The chairman reminded the nominees that their selection was not done by an individual but through research, public voting, and rigorous evaluation, among others, by the independent advisory board.

He said, “Every nomination is based on credibility”.

Commenting on the theme for the year, Dr. Omolola said that healthcare was now driven by ideas, partnership, artificial intelligence, local production of devices, and sustainable financing, among others.

These, according to him, are the resilient blocks driving healthcare services.

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