To ensure equitable access to quality healthcare for vulnerable residents in Badagry, the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) has partnered with Health District V and the DIDE Foundation to flag off a two-day Eko Social Health Alliance (EKOSHA) community storm in the Badagry Division.
The outreach, launched in the Posukoh Ward in Badagry, is designed to bring social health insurance directly to underserved communities and enrol vulnerable residents in the State’s health scheme, Ilera Eko, free of charge for one year.
Speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary of LASHMA, Dr Emmanuella Zamba, emphasised that enrollment in Ilera Eko is now mandatory for all Lagos residents, regardless of socio-economic standing. She revealed that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu recently increased the State’s Equity Fund, derived from one per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) dedicated to covering the vulnerable, from ₦1 Billion to ₦3 Billion.
“Benefits under the scheme include medical consultations, treatment for common and chronic conditions such as malaria, hypertension, and diabetes, maternal care including normal delivery and Caesarean sections, paediatric care, emergency services, surgical procedures, and essential medications,” Dr Zamba stated.
She encouraged newly enrolled beneficiaries to utilise accredited hospitals whenever they require medical care rather than resorting to self-medication. Dr Zamba also urged enrollees to report any service challenges through LASHMA’s 24/7 toll-free helplines or dedicated WhatsApp support lines.
Also addressing the gathering, the Permanent Secretary for Health District V, Dr Oladapo Asiyanbi, noted that the two-day outreach offered complementary medical services beyond registration, including child immunisation, vital checks, dental care, and free screenings for eye conditions and tuberculosis.
He urged residents to come out en masse, undergo the screening and take their drugs as prescribed because health is wealth.
To address geographic barriers in hard-to-reach areas, the Executive Chairman of Olorunda LCDA, Hon. Ajose Peter Kumayon, announced that a commuter boat was donated to transport residents from the riverine Ojogun community to healthcare facilities across the water, promising that two additional boats would soon be deployed.
In his remarks, the Possu of Badagry Kingdom, Chief Sulaimon Sewanu Iroko, commended the State Government for bringing the initiative to the division. Attesting to the programme’s credibility as a beneficiary himself, Chief Iroko noted that free coverage would significantly lighten the financial burden of healthcare for local families.
He said, “This is a good initiative by the State Government as going to the hospital is very expensive for a lot of people. With the free health insurance for the vulnerable, there is no doubt that the good health of the people will improve”.
So far, the EKOSHA enrollment drive has covered six of the 10 wards in Badagry—including Jegba Quarters, Posukoh, Ajara Topa, Ajido, Ikoga, and Togo Idale—with registrations set to continue in the remaining wards. As part of the outreach, co-organiser DIDE Foundation also distributed free West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) forms to secondary school students in the communities visited.
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