Lagos State Government has organised the first ILERA EKO Providers’ Forum

The Lagos State Government has organised the first ILERA EKO Providers’ Forum, just as it solicited more collaborations from healthcare providers to improve service delivery for Enrollees.

The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi said this at the first ILERA EKO Providers Forum themed: “A Brighter Future”, organised by the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, adding that the collaborations become necessary in order to harness all the resources and capacity available to move the Scheme forward.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye, the Commissioner said that as the State Government would continue in its giant strides towards ensuring a Smart City, the health sector has made significant contributions and is continually striving to improve the overall health indices and quality of life of Lagos residents.

Prof. Abayomi said that ILERA EKO was conceived by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as part of his promise of a healthier Lagos in his T.H.E.M.E.S AGENDA. In keeping with that promise, the Commissioner said that the present administration has continued to provide immense support to LASHMA towards the actualisation of the mandate as an integral part of the State Government Universal Health Coverage (UHC) journey.

He reiterated that ILERA EKO has provided various healthcare services across different spectrums of care and Lagos residents have benefitted immensely from ILERA EKO in the areas of access to quality maternal and child health services, immunisations, outpatient and inpatient treatment of medical cases, quality laboratory and diagnostic services as well as surgical procedures.

The Commissioner said that the State Government has taken actionable steps toward improving access and benefits on ILERA EKO by unveiling various ILERA EKO health plans, expanding the health benefits package and also implementing various provider improvement initiatives such as technical training and distribution of drugs to address out-of-stock.

The General Manager, Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA), Dr. Emmanuella Zamba, in her welcome address, appreciated the providers from the primary level to the secondary level and across the board who have supported the Agency to ensure that residents in the State have access to quality and affordable healthcare.

She said that the Forum, which would become an annual platform to create opportunities to co-learn and co-develop strategies targeted at improved service delivery on the Scheme while advancing the State towards UHC.

She added that the Forum would also facilitate knowledge exchange between the healthcare providers and LASHMA for defined policies or strategies for the improvement of access and quality of care on the Scheme.

The General Manager revealed that since the full commencement of ILERA EKO in 2020, Enrollees have visited Hospitals under the Scheme 457,770 times. Out of these visits, the highest was for malaria cases with 156,458 visits followed by 41,588 visits for hypertension-related and 20, 559 visits for diabetes

She added that 25,514 antenatal visits were recorded and 17,358 babies were delivered on the Scheme out of which 7,290 babies (42 per cent) were delivered via Cesarean sections and 10,068 (58 per cent) were normal deliveries.

Board Member, Dr. Tunji Akintade urged the providers not to renege on the outcomes of the Forum. He added that while the Forum identifies opportunities and incentives to enhance cooperation and foster partnerships that can deliver the ILERA EKO mandate, it is critical to avoid any reversal or stagnation in the significant progress that has been made on the Scheme.

Three categories of Awards – Customer-centric, Special Recognition and Most Supportive Medical Directors/Medical Officer of Health were also presented to recognise and celebrate health workers who have conducted themselves in an exemplary manner.

Recipients included the Medical Director, Island Maternity, Dr. Olufemi Omololu; the Medical Director, SUBOL Hospital, Dr. Olayiwola Bello; the Medical Officer of Health, Itaelewa PHC, Dr. Rahman Odesesan; Ikorodu General Hospital, Okiki Clinic and Maternity Hospital, Aruna Ogun Memorial Specialist Hospital, Odumbaku PHC and Golden Cross Infirmary Hospital.