The Lagos State Health Management Authority, (LASHMA), launched a statewide health insurance scheme to cater for the medical needs of Lagosians, in early 2021. The Lagos State Health Insurance Scheme dubbed ‘Ilera Eko’ was designed to cater for the masses, as one of the promises of the incumbent Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Following its inauguration, the agency leads a campaign across the five divisions of Lagos State, and established divisional offices across the Lagos metropolis.
The Ikorodu division is one of the first districts to have an Ilera Eko zonal office and the management has been engaging the people of Ikorodu through various forums to sensitize and encourage mass registration for the programme. Working with the Ikorodu General Hospital, the LASHMA officials have been frequenting Ikorodu while their divisional officers engage the people of the division.
As a follow-up plan, the management of LASHMA organised an Equity Fund Beneficiaries Town Hall Meeting, on April 28, 2022. The meeting, which was held in the Ikorodu Local Government, premises, featured many interesting plans to be benefitted by the people. Critical stakeholders in the division, including the traditional ruler, CDC representatives, health workers, opinion leaders, spiritual leaders and the media all attended. The sales manager, Mr. Olukayode Ogunbayo, who made a formal presentation at the event, thanked the Lagos State Governor for initiating the public health insurance scheme for the masses.
“I must start by appreciating the effort of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for establishing healthcare services in Lagos. The programmes put in place by the governor include maternal-infant-child health, social welfare and health insurance (Ilera Eko).” Speaking on the management’s effort to promote quality healthcare in Lagos, Mr. Olukayode explained the rationale for some of the moves made by the governor.
Stating that statistics from the United Nations gave a concerning report that over 70% of Lagos residents live below the poverty line. In effect, they live on one dollar a day.
By implication, it means many residents cannot afford to pay for health insurance scheme in spite the little premium fees. After realising that only a little above 500 Lagos residents are registered for the Ilera Eko health scheme despite its affordability, Governor Sanwo-Olu established a 700 million naira funding to help pay for the vulnerable residents in Lagos. The speaker explained that the fund covers medical expenses of vulnerable and indigent Lagosians who could not pay for health insurance premium. The Ilera Eko premium which goes for as low as N8,500 for individual and N42,000 for a family of four per annum, is a way of ensuring that many can afford the scheme.
After his brief speech, the sales manager repeated his message in Yoruba language in the interest of those who understand only Yoruba language. As part of the town hall meeting, the organisers lined up special attraction such like getting feedback from existing customers/enrollee on the Ilera Eko, taking questions and answers, stage raffle draw and other necessary items. He added that managing director of the agency is putting things in place to have smooth operations and easy access to health insurance for Lagosians. Part of the plans, is that they are set to tour the local councils across Ikorodu division.
The speech was followed by a moment of testimony and feedback from previous enrollees. The first to testify was Alhaja Alimot Amoke who joined the scheme last year and is on premium package of N8,500 per annum. According to Alhaja Alimot, she has been receiving highly subsidized treatments at the General Hospital, Ikorodu, and receiving free drugs since she enrolled for the Ilera Eko health scheme.
“I appreciate the Ilera Eko people for all the special offers, I am benefitting from the health insurance. However, I want to plead with the management to, please, help us accessing more drugs at the Ikorodu General Hospital. Expensive drugs are always not available at the dispensary.”
The second beneficiary to speak was Mrs. Olayinka Lateefat. She thanked the management of LASHMA for the Ilera Eko scheme and narrated her experience with the hospital service since she enrolled on the health insurance scheme. According to Lateefat, it appears that only pregnant women enjoy the full benefits of the Ilera Eko. “Aside pregnant mothers, services for others for poor, as they rarely enjoy the said benefits. I am speaking from personal experience, while I was pregnant, I received great treatment and drugs at virtually no cost till I delivered. But after I put to bed, my subsequent visits to the hospital were not so good. I started getting lesser treatment and attention.
A physically challenged woman, Oluwafunke from Imota, who spoke during the session, was happy for the Ilera Eko Scheme.
“In 2016 when I had my child, I was referred to Ikorodu General Hospital after threats during labour. After delivery, I was detained in the hospital for ten days over unpaid medical bills. My mother ran helter-skelter to raise the fund, including standing by the roadside to solicit for alms. This time when I was recommended to the Ikorodu General Hospital, my mother was worried. She complained that she wouldn’t want to go beg for alms on the street to pay my medical bills again. But I had good treatment after I registered for the Ilera Eko Health Scheme.”
She thanked the management for such a great scheme and pleaded with them to explain the various services covered in the Ilera Eko Scheme.”
Her testimonial attracted warm round of applause from the audience.
Responding to the questions raised by the women, Mr. Olukayode Ogunbayo, reassured the audience that the LASHMA management is committed to making the Ilera Eko Scheme available and helpful to all Lagos residents. “LASHMA made plans to refund those enrollees who bought drugs outside the hospital. Though, it is sad that everyone wants to cash out in a hurry and would use the opportunity to fraudulently claim refund they didn’t pay for in the first place. So, we will ensure that patients present valid evidence of payment for drugs they bought outside from recognised hospital pharmacy.” He also added that labour women are not to pay any fee during child labour, if treated otherwise, they should call the LASHMA emergency number to report the errant hospital staff.
Then and there, Mr. Olukayode read out the numbers to call, 080000LASHMA, 070045372356, 070ilera Eko and 0800275527462.
He also added that the services covered by the Ilera Eko Scheme are boldly printed on the banner set used as backdrop on the high table. Noting that Ikorodu division currently has two General Hospitals (Ikorodu and Ijede) with many primary healthcare centers where patients and expectant mothers can visit.
From the audience was a doctor who works in a private hospital where enrollees of Ilera Eko also receive medical services. When it was time for comments and questions from the audience, he clarified some complaints from patients who claimed that they were denied access to some kinds of drugs. Explaining that all hospitals, aside the government hospitals who operate the Ilera Eko Scheme, may not provided certain expensive drugs for their patients who use the scheme because the package the patience subscribe to does not cover such treatments.
Dr. Kareem Obani Ismail of the Ikorodu General Hospital who spoke on behalf on its management, enlightened the audience on the various packages the Ilera Eko offers. “Some drugs are not listed to be prescribed to patients using the insurance health scheme. In such case, only those who subscribed to the appropriate package will have access to such drugs. On the issue of handling patients, it is a fact that we have large numbers to handle but we are trying our best to handle the high demand and services we receive everyday.”
To buttress Dr. Obani’s claims, a traditional chief from the high table who represented the Ayangbure of Ikorodu, narrated his experience at the general hospital. “There was a case of someone I witnessed who brought a blind patient. He flared up when the doctor explained that he has to attend to an aged patient first. The point many patients fail to realise is that emergencies have priorities. People must understand this and endeavour to be patient whenever they are told to do something or hold on.”
A customer who is also working as referral to the Ilera Eko, complained over the poor treatment she received from the customer care group at the divisional office. According to her, when she approached the customer care agent of Ilera Eko at the general hospital office for her commission after referring many enrollees, she was treatment poorly. She urged the LASHMA management to improve by keeping to their promise on referral commission and good customer care relations. She thanked the management and took her seat. The LASHMA sales officer, Mr. Olusegun Braimoh who responded to the complaint, said that ‘referral’ is a bonus for those who introduced patients to the Ilera Eko scheme and that it is officially called the “referral reward programme where those who introduced other clients receive stipend of N2,000 for individual registration and N5,000 for family who complete their annual subscription. The benefit goes to the person who referred the enrollee and would continue to receive the stipend as long as the introduced enrollee keeps completing payment for the scheme.
Reverend Sister Mrs. Ebunoluwa Idowu, founder of Devine Children Heritage Home, Ikorodu, also spoke and made passionate plea to the LASHMA management. Mrs. Idowu said that her home currently caters for 39 children and staffed with 15 workers. She thanked the medical team who make routine visits to her orphanage and appreciate the services they offer every time. She noted that there are some peculiar children who require special services and need health insurance. “Some of our children suffer mental ailments and are refused treatment at the medical center in Surulere. The orphanage spends an average of N50, 000 (fifty thousand naira) monthly, on mental treatment for some children who require constant medication. The orphanage needs more concession and how can our staff of 15 workers pay their health insurance scheme in bits. You know they are not high income earners.”
While responding to the question, Mr. Olukayode explained that the LASHMA MD has ordered the marketing officers to make arrangements for the 15 orphanage workers to pay for their Ilera Eko scheme so that they would pay on installment. The marketing manager expatiate further when he commented, “this is the perfect programme. We are here to dialogue and improve on the services. Let everyone show interest in town hall meeting to explore ways for progress. If people bring along the younger ones to such forum, the younger ones would learn some manners such as not to be rude to elderly patients during their visits to hospital.”
This was followed by a brief recap by a representative of the customer service centre from the Ikorodu division office. Mrs. Titilope Olu who is also pregnant, spoke to the audience on how best to reach the customer service agents. “Whenever you are not getting the required or expected service at the hospital, don’t leave there before calling our customer care lines. Calling after leaving the hospital will only complicate matters. While you request for services from the health officers and they are not willing to attend to your needs, right there, give us a call so that we can clarify issues with them. Our whatsapp number to send complaints to will be given to you now. Please, endeavour to add pictures regarding your complaints where necessary. The number is 07045358275.” She left the podium amidst round of applause.
The Deputy Chief Doctor of the Ijede General Hospital who was invited to respond to complaints by patients, said that though the second general hospital may have some challenges, they are resolving them. “There are cases of patients who wrongly enrolled in Ikorodu General Hospital but claim to be registered with the Ijede General Hospital. There are cases of family whose children, two or one, are registered at the Ikorodu General Hospital while the parents are registered with us. We understand that these issues about Ilera Eko are just emerging, they will all be addressed.”
In response to the doctor’s speech, the LASHMA officer immediately instructed the concerned officers to look into the issue of mix-up registration by enrollees and find a way of reconciling all records. Before taking vote of thanks, incentives in the form of raffle draw were given to registered women with the Ilera Eko Scheme. Numbers were stirred in a ballot and picked at random, though many numbers picked didn’t match the women in the hall, subsequent picks received gifts items including cash price from the LASHMA officials.
The divisional Coordinator of Ikorodu office, Mr. Adeolu Adedeji, who gave the vote of thanks, appreciated the Oba of Ikorodu who was represented by a chief as well as, the CDC chairman and all stakeholders who attended the town hall meeting. The key officers posed with some of the guests in a photo session, before their departure.