By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Lagos State government has launched a new health insurance package under its Ilera Eko initiative known as the Standard Jaara Health Insurance Plan.
This policy costs N15,000 per annum for an individual, while a family of four consisting of the father, mother and two children below 23 years is charged N55,000 per annum, and a family of six comprising the father, mother and four children also below 23 years will pay N80,000 per annum, with additional dependents below 23 years old is expected to pay N10, 000 per annum.
Speaking at the unveiling of this new plan on Tuesday, the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said this initiative aligns with his administration’s commitment to provide quality, affordable and efficient health care services for Lagos residents.
He disclosed that the additional package confirmed the long history of improving healthcare accessibility by the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA).
According to him, it also marked a significant milestone in health insurance for Lagos State and Nigeria, assuring residents that his administration will continue to introduce policies and reforms that make healthcare accessible and affordable, urging them to take good care of their health for their benefit, family and the good and prosperity of the state.
The Governor appealed to the informal sector, which he said constitutes 70 per cent of the population in Lagos State, to seize the opportunity of the new initiatives and enrol on Ilera Eko to reduce out-of-pocket and huge payment of medical bills.
“The initiatives we are launching today, further confirm LASHMA’s long history of improving healthcare accessibility.
“One of them is the new Ilera Eko Standard Jaara Health Insurance Plan, which offers additional benefits and peace of mind by reducing the financial burden of medical bills. In this plan, we have heavily subsidized the health insurance premium to ensure that everyone can access healthcare,” Mr Sanwo-Olu, who also commissioned five Ilera Eko Virtual Booths installed in five locations across the state, posited.
“The Virtual Booths are designed to bring healthcare closer to the people and expand the reach of LASHMA’s health insurance scheme, Ilera Eko, across the state.
“It is particularly useful for our hardworking market men and women who usually find it difficult to leave their shops and wares to take sometimes long trips to hospitals when they are sick. They will serve as first-line health services in the different informal business clusters around the state,” he noted.
Business Post reports that the Ilera Eko Standard Jaara Health Insurance scheme has telemedicine as part of its permanent component, annual medical screening, Cardiology, Ear, Nose and Throat, and Orthopedic treatments, among others.
Governor Sanwo-Olu was decorated during the programme as the Grand Ambassador of Universal Health Coverage in Lagos, while his deputy, Mr Obafemi Hamzat, was also decorated as Ambassador for Ilera Eko.
The Chairman of the Governing Council of LASHMA, Mr Adebayo Adedewe, who said a total of 300 virtual booths are being proposed across the state to take care of the people at the grassroots, said the new initiatives by the agency was to ensure that more residents have access to quality and affordable healthcare.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Aduragbemi Omiyale