The Lagos State Civil Society Participation for Development (LACSOP) and the Joint Learning Agenda for Universal Health Coverage (JLAUHC) have called for the implementation of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Act 2022, to improve health access for all residents of Lagos State.
The groups made the call during a Stakeholder Engagement Meeting for the Baseline Assessment of the Lagos State Alignment with the NHIA Act 2022, which held at the office of the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA).
Barrister Ayo Adebusoye, the Chairman and Board of Trustees of LACSOP while speaking about the scorecard template, which captures priority advocacy issues, called for synergy between LASHMA and NHIA on roles and operational guidelines.
Adebusoye explained that the scorecard development would help to achieve effective implementation of NHIA Act at national and sub-national levels, adding that it would help to assess the level of compliance with the provisions of the Act at sub-national levels.
He also emphasised the need for more data reporting, management, accountability and transparency in basic minimum health packages for the poor and vulnerable individuals.
Ms. Olayide Akanni, co-coordinator at JLA, commended LASHMA for advancing access to health insurance at the state level, stressing that “there is a need for a lot of alignment with the provisions of the NHIA Act.
Akanni noted that it is critical for LASHMA, as the state agency, to provide reports to the NHIA.
She said, “NHIA should provide a system for easy transmission of reports from state to the national and also support the states to be able to do their work productively.”
She also appealed to LASHMA to ensure the “inclusion of family planning consumables, testing and treatment of HIV in Lagos health insurance scheme for Universal Health Coverage minimum basic package.”
While presenting the scorecard template, Mr. Olympus Ade-Bayo, Advocacy Consultant on the Joint Learning Agenda for Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria (JLA4UHC) project, Lagos chapter, commended LASHMA for impressive implementation but stressed that the agency could improve on some aspects of their operations.
Adebayo said, “there is room for improvement in demand generation and also the policy landscape is currently not reflective of the current policy. We think there is a need for revision which has to be done promptly.”
He added that JLA will be supporting the agency with Demand Generation Materials (DGM) that can be used at the digital space to keep the public aware of the provisions in order to take up health insurance.
“Developed information materials that can be used at the grassroots level, also to support the work of the agency so that people can demand for more service,” he added.
Dr Emmanuella Zamba, the Permanent Secretary of LASHMA, committed to collaborating more with Civil Society Organizations on demand generation for mandatory health insurance drives within Lagos communities.
Dr Zamba also explained that the Lagos State Government is reviewing the State’s Health Insurance Act to address existing gaps and ensure it captures the current realities which would help to ensure universal health coverage.