The Lagos State Government has warned that sanctions await any Ilera Eko healthcare provider who flouts healthcare practice standards.
The General Manager, Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA), Dr. Emmanuella Zamba, said the agency had been inundated with complaints from enrolees on the health insurance scheme.
She vowed that the state would not relent in its determination to ensure that Lagos residents, no matter their status, have access to affordable and quality healthcare.
She said: “We, therefore, cannot fold our arms and allow some providers to destroy the good intention of the state government and its determination to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).”
She said enrolees’ complaints included hospitals not giving drugs, not admitting patients, not carrying out tests and collecting money from patients on some of the drugs or tests covered, among others.
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The LASHMA boss added that government would not hesitate to deal decisively with any of such hospitals that are hell-bent on giving the state government a bad name or any hospital whose workers treat ILERA EKO enrolees with levity.
Commending the hospitals that are performing creditably and taking care of Ilera Eko enrolees, Zamba said the agency would ensure that quality healthcare is provided for Lagos residents as healthy residents would be more productive and make a wealthy state. She warned that no enrolee should pay for any medical condition covered such as consultation, laboratory tests, admissions for 15 days in a year, treatment of diabetes and hypertension as well as monthly refill of drugs, antenatal and delivery, including caesarean section, surgeries such as herniotomy, appendectomy and herniorrhaphy.
Zamba appealed to enrolees to call the dedicated customer service toll-free line while at the hospital for any complaint so that LASHMA could resolve the issue before leaving the hospital. The General Manager said that enrolees can also send text messages only via WhatsApp in case they want to obtain a benefits package, hospital list, information, enquiry or even complaints about the health insurance plan.
She urged customers to know their rights, pursue and claim them as LASHMA is out to serve them better. Zamba said that the new National Health Insurance Act (NHIA) signed by President Muhammadu Buhari in May, this year has made health insurance mandatory for all Nigerians.
She, therefore, appealed to all Lagos residents who are yet to enrol on the health plan to do so without further delay in order to adhere to the law and reduce their out-of-pocket payment for medical bills.