Lagos adds free antenatal, surgeries, scans to health insurance scheme

Lagos State residents enrolled in the free one-year health insurance package launched by the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority can now access major and minor surgeries, antenatal and postnatal care, specialist consultations and family planning services.

The authority disclosed this during a medical outreach to residents of Festac, on Tuesday.

During the outreach, the Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority, Bashir Are, represented by Kazeem Olanipekun, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to extending quality healthcare to all corners of Lagos.

He said the free health insurance scheme being undertaken for Lagosians is being implemented at the directive of Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, with a mandate and commitment to improving the well-being of Lagos citizens through a series of strategic health interventions.

Are said, “We try as much as possible to reach every part of Lagos State. This programme, created by the Lagos State Health and Management Agency, is intended to provide quality healthcare services to residents in towns and communities that make up the Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas of Lagos State.

“At the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority, we are supporting the State to reach as many people as possible, because it’s a State Government mandate. We are giving this opportunity to our people for quality and proper Ilera Eko; our people must be healthy. Now, our people can access sound and quality healthcare in almost all the hospitals and primary healthcare centres in the Country.”

A representative of the Lagos State Health Management Agency, Lucas Aladeusi, stressed that the scheme was not restricted to public facilities.

“We need to tell Lagosians that we are not restricted to public hospitals and primary healthcare centres, we are also partnering with private hospitals and clinics within and outside Lagos State,” he said.

Aladeusi added that the agency had significantly expanded the scope of available services under the package.

“The Agency has gone a step further by expanding the access to minor and major surgeries, clinical tests, antenatal and postnatal care, family planning, in addition to the patient’s registration, general and specialist consultations, among others,” he stated.

He noted that the outreach had already covered Lagos Island, Agege and Ikorodu before arriving at Festac, adding that the scheme was open to all residents who live and work in Lagos State.

“The scheme is social health insurance scheme by the Lagos State Government to ensure that people that live and work in Lagos State have access to quality, affordable and accessible healthcare. So, today, we are partnering with the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority to provide free health insurance services for the people of the State,” Aladeusi said.

Earlier in May, the authority said it secured a free health insurance package for 1,320 residents across the three senatorial districts of the state.

The free package, offered under the ILERA EKO scheme in partnership with the Lagos State Health Management Agency, covers 1,320 residents across the state’s three senatorial districts for one year.

The ILERA EKO scheme, launched by the state government to drive universal health coverage, is designed to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses for residents and improve access to quality healthcare services across public and private facilities accredited by the Lagos State Health Management Agency.