New one-stop office brings health insurance registration and support services closer to residents as state pushes universal health coverage
By Bunmi Yekini
Lagos State has opened a new ILERA EKO office in Surulere, expanding access to its social health insurance scheme and bringing registration and customer support services closer to residents as authorities intensify efforts to achieve universal health coverage.
The new one-stop centre, located within the premises of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) in Surulere, will enable residents to register for health insurance, update enrolment records, resolve complaints, change healthcare providers and access other ILERA EKO services without travelling to distant offices.
Speaking at the commissioning, Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA), Dr. Emmanuella Zamba, said the facility marked another step in the agency’s drive to make affordable, quality and equitable healthcare more accessible at the grassroots.
“The office is more than a physical structure; it is a symbol of hope, accessibility, partnership and progress,” Zamba said.
She said the agency had introduced several initiatives since becoming fully operational in 2020 to improve service delivery and strengthen confidence in the state’s health insurance programme. These include flexible payment options, cooperative health plans, telemedicine services, community outreach programmes and emergency health support under the LASHMA Assistance in Distress (LASHMA-AID) initiative.
To deepen its presence across Lagos, Zamba said LASHMA now operates divisional offices across the state’s five IBILE divisions, supported by 40 ILERA EKO kiosks and community mobilisation officers.
She also highlighted the executive order signed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in July 2024 making social health insurance mandatory for all Lagos residents, saying the policy is designed to ensure that no one is denied healthcare because of financial hardship.
Zamba urged traditional rulers, religious leaders, market associations, transport unions, artisans and community leaders to encourage residents to enrol in the scheme.
Community leaders welcomed the new office, describing it as a boost to affordable healthcare delivery in Surulere.
Representing the Oba of Ikate, Chief Suab Olayemi said the traditional institution would support awareness campaigns to encourage more households to register, noting that health insurance had become an essential safeguard against rising medical costs.
The Bashorun of Ojora and Iganmu Kingdom, Chief Hakeem Ojora, said locating the office within the community would ease access to healthcare services and reduce the financial burden faced by many families.
Community Development Committee Chairman for Surulere Constituency I, Wemimo Odumosu, described the office as a timely intervention that would strengthen healthcare delivery across the local government and local council development areas, pledging that community associations would work with LASHMA to increase enrolment.
LASHMA also recognised Adebowale Dawodu, chairman of the Farmers Association in Coker-Aguda LCDA, as an ILERA EKO Champion for his role in promoting the scheme. Dawodu pledged to mobilise more farmers to enrol in the programme.
The Surulere office is expected to improve access to health insurance services while supporting Lagos State’s broader goal of expanding financial protection against healthcare costs through universal health coverage.