The state government of Lagos in Nigeria has decided to allocate to 1% of its consolidated revenue for health insurance in order to improve healthcare delivery.
The announcement was made by the state Governor Akinwunmi Ambode during the launch of the State Health Insurance Scheme at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island.
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The initiative is aimed at providing access to quality and affordable healthcare services with financial risk protection, including government subsidy to its residents.
Lagos health insurance
Governor Ambode was quoted by thisdaylive.com as saying: “To ensure that the indigent and vulnerable persons who are most susceptible to the difficulties of out-of-pocket payments for healthcare, are enrolled into the Lagos State Health Scheme, we have set aside 1% the state’s consolidated revenue in the 2018 budget for this purpose.
“By law, this scheme is mandatory for all residents of the state. That is the trend nationwide. The process of identifying and registering the beneficiaries has commenced in a number of our developing communities whose residents are mostly indigent.”
The state government noted that it will launch a transparent and scientific process to enrol the people in the health insurance scheme.
According to an estimate, initially more than 15,000 people are expected to be enrolled and benefited by the scheme.
