As the Lagos State Government prepares
to roll out its mandatory health insurance scheme tagged the Lagos State Health
Scheme (LSHS), the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris has tasked health
care providers in the public sector on provision of qualitative care to
enrollees.
Idris who stated this today at an
interactive session with public sector health care providers on the scheme
noted that the provision of quality care to enrollees under the scheme is key
stressing that the LSHS seeks to address the issues of accessibility to quality health care
services as well as financial protection from huge medical bills.
Said
he “provision of qualitative services including customer service is a critical
sustainability factor for the scheme and thus quality assurance will be
aggressively monitored and enforced with quality improvement plans and programs
being implemented by participating facilities”.
The
Commissioner noted that the quality assessment element that will be required of
health facilities willing to participate under the scheme include; management
and leadership, human resource management, patient and family rights and access
to care, management of information and risk management.
Idris
stressed that the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA); the agency
established by the Lagos State Health Scheme law to promote, regulate,
supervise and ensure the effective administration of the LSHS and the Health
Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) will ensure provision of
qualitative services and value for money spent in all facilities empanelled
under the scheme.
He
added that the scheme which will be used as a catalyst for health reforms in
Lagos State also seek to improve and harness private sector participation, achieve
equitable distribution of healthcare cost, encourage efficiency and demand for
health as well as resource pooling.
The Commissioner while reiterating the
State Government’s commitment to increase access to quality and affordable
health care service through the implementation of LSHS opined that the
implementation of the scheme lends credence to the State Government’s position
that all people and communities should have access to needed promotive,
preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services.
Idris explained that the journey to
having a State health financing scheme has been a long but purposeful one
stressing the Lagos State Government resolve to have its own scheme is
evidenced by the fact that the State’s health financing direction has been a
major subject matter in the health sector for a couple of years now.
“It might seem like a lot of time has
passed since the enactment of the LSHS law for the implementation of the scheme
to be just commencing, however a lot of technical studies and pilot schemes
have been done to ensure that we get it right as the scheme is expected to be a
catalyst for the Lagos State Health Reform”, the Commissioner said.
He
explained that since the enactment of the LSHS law, the Ministry of Health has
embarked on intensive preliminary technical sessions to ensure the
operationalization of the law. He added that a core implementation team
comprising of relevant technical persons and stakeholders from the public and
private sector as well as donor community was set up to draw up a blueprint to
facilitate the effective roll-out of the scheme.
Idris
however noted that only public and private facilities that meet laid down criteria
for provision of health care under the scheme will be accredited to provide
Service. He added the State will soon commence massive sensitization about the
scheme especially on all social media platforms.
“The Scheme is for all residents of
Lagos State, enrolment for LSHS is per family of six; mother, father and four children
while single or unit enrollment is also allowed. Premium is 40,000 naira per
annum for family of six and 8,500 naira for single unit enrollment and payment
can be done monthly, quarterly or annually through varied channels”, the
Commissioner explained
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