The Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority has expanded its free one-year health insurance package to include major and minor surgeries, antenatal and postnatal care, specialist consultations, family planning services, and clinical tests for residents enrolled under the ILERA EKO scheme.
The agency disclosed this during a medical outreach held in Festac on Tuesday, reaffirming the Lagos State Government’s commitment to widening access to affordable healthcare across the state.
Representing the Chief Executive Officer of the authority, Bashir Are, Kazeem Olanipekun said the initiative was being implemented under the directive of Babajide Sanwo-Olu as part of broader efforts to improve residents’ wellbeing through strategic health interventions.
“We try as much as possible to reach every part of Lagos State. This programme, created by the Lagos State Health Management Agency, is intended to provide quality healthcare services to residents in towns and communities across the Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas of Lagos State,” he said.
Olanipekun added that the authority was supporting the state government to ensure more Lagosians gained access to quality healthcare through the ILERA EKO programme.
“At the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority, we are supporting the State to reach as many people as possible because it is a State Government mandate. We are giving this opportunity to our people for quality and proper ILERA EKO; our people must be healthy,” he stated.
Private Hospitals Included
A representative of the Lagos State Health Management Agency, Lucas Aladeusi, clarified that the scheme extends beyond public hospitals and primary healthcare centres.
“We are not restricted to public hospitals and primary healthcare centres. We are also partnering with private hospitals and clinics within and outside Lagos State,” he said.
Aladeusi noted that the agency had significantly expanded the range of services available under the insurance package.
“The Agency has gone a step further by expanding access to minor and major surgeries, clinical tests, antenatal and postnatal care, family planning, in addition to patient registration, general and specialist consultations, among others,” he explained.
According to him, the outreach had previously covered Lagos Island, Agege, and Ikorodu before moving to Festac, adding that the programme remains open to all residents living and working in Lagos State.
“The scheme is a social health insurance programme by the Lagos State Government to ensure that people who live and work in Lagos State have access to quality, affordable and accessible healthcare,” Aladeusi added.
Earlier in May, the authority announced that it had secured free health insurance coverage for 1,320 residents across Lagos State’s three senatorial districts under the ILERA EKO scheme.
The ILERA EKO initiative, launched by the Lagos State Government in partnership with the Lagos State Health Management Agency, is aimed at reducing out-of-pocket medical expenses while improving access to healthcare services across accredited public and private facilities.
