Wife of the Lagos State governor, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has emphasised the need for Lagosians to get active about their health by enrolling in the state health insurance scheme.
Recall that the immediate past administration of Akinwunmi Ambode, launched the Lagos Health Insurance scheme in December 2018, with the aim to providing access to affordable and quality healthcare services to the growing population.
While the population of Lagos is estimated at over 21 million, health facilities in the state are seen in short supply, a development that meant that patients, especially in public health institutions, are put on waiting queue (in some cases, for upwards of three months) to see doctors, with most of the patients struggling to pay out of their pockets.
The state health insurance scheme backed by a law enacted by the State House of Assembly in May 2015, makes it mandatory for residents to enrol in the scheme, but since the launch, little or nothing has been achieved with the scheme.
But speaking on Monday during a medical mission by James Omolaja Odunmbaku Foundation in Ojodu area of Lagos, Sanwo-Olu said: “I must add that the health insurance scheme is a critical game changer in the effort of government to increase access to healthcare services as it is a known fact that out of pocket payment is a major factor that often time limits access to healthcare especially for indigents and other vulnerable persons in the society.
“As a medical doctor myself, I clearly understand the positive mileage we stand to gain if all residents sign on to the health insurance scheme which has been designed to cater for basic primary and selected secondary healthcare services for beneficiaries such as treatment and management of malaria, hypertension, common childhood illnesses, antenatal care services, delivery, including caesarean section.”
At another event, a symposium on substance abuse organised by Freedom Foundation, the governor’s wife also advised parents to pay attention to the mental health of the children and wards. She noted it was important for parents to give quality attention to issues around their children and sometimes go as far as intruding into their business to be abreast with them
She said this was imperative in view of the fact that it had been well-established that children without proper parental care and guidance most times end up being captives of drugs.
She said there was the need for individual family units to focus on the home front, as the type of adults that children grow to become has a lot to do with the level of decency of their upbringing.
“We must make it our business to sometimes intrude into their business, by knowing who their friends are, where they go, how they relax, what they drink and so on and so forth. By so doing, we will be their friend and earn their confidence. It is the way to go, to positively influence our children and reduce peer pressure on them. This will help remarkably, to evolve a decent youth population, for a sanitised society,” Sanwo-Olu said.
JOSHUA BASSEY
