Lagos launches LASHMA-AID to guarantee Emergency Care before payment

Lagos State has taken a major step towards strengthening emergency healthcare delivery with the launch of the LASHMA-AID Emergency Services Programme, a state-led initiative designed to ensure that no resident is denied life-saving treatment because of cost, delay or administrative barriers

The programme was formally unveiled on Thursday at The Providence Hotel, GRA-Ikeja, and is backed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Executive Order on Mandatory Social Health Insurance.

It institutionalises emergency medical stabilisation for insured and vulnerable residents under the Lagos State Health Insurance Scheme (ILERA EKO), guaranteeing treatment before payment.

Delivering the keynote address, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, described the launch as a historic milestone in Lagos’ journey towards universal health coverage.

“LASHMA-AID reflects the Governor’s resolve to guarantee unhindered access to healthcare. Health remains a core pillar of the THEMES Plus Agenda, alongside sustained investments in infrastructure, digital health systems and emergency response,” Ogunyemi said.

She highlighted ongoing reforms in the health sector, including the Smart Health Information Platform linking public facilities, the expansion of 24-hour primary healthcare centres, the upgrade of over 27 PHCs under the World Bank-supported IMPACT Programme, and the growth of functional PHCs to more than 336 across the state.

According to her, Lagos has also reduced out-of-pocket healthcare spending by strengthening health insurance coverage and protecting vulnerable groups through an equity fund financed with one per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, now increased to ₦3 billion annually.

Dr Ogunyemi explained that residents can access emergency care through the universal emergency numbers 112 or 767, or the dedicated LASHMA toll-free line, 0800 000 LASHMA, while evacuation and response are provided by LASAMBUS, which has been strengthened with ambulance bikes and mobile intensive care unit (MICU) ambulances.

She disclosed that LASAMBUS responded to over 5,000 emergency cases this year, with approval granted for the recruitment of additional nurses and bike riders to improve response times.

In his goodwill message, the Head of Service, Mr Bode Agoro, described LASHMA-AID as a landmark intervention that reinforces the state government’s commitment to safeguarding lives, particularly those of public servants and pensioners.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Public Service Office, Mrs Sunkanmi Oyegbola, Agoro said the initiative ensures prompt, professional and financially protected emergency care regardless of socio-economic status.

Chairman of the House Committee on Health, Hon Musibau Aina Lawal, said the programme translates legislative intent into practical, life-saving action.

“LASHMA-AID reinforces the principle that preservation of life must always come first, before enrolment verification or payment,” he said, assuring continued legislative support.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA), Dr Adebayo Adedewe, said the programme was conceived from Sections 6 and 7 of the Governor’s Executive Order and developed through extensive stakeholder engagement.

He explained that LASHMA-AID covers up to 48 hours of in-facility emergency stabilisation for enrollees and vulnerable residents and integrates hospitals, ambulance operators and LASHMA into a single response chain for pre-hospital care, transfers and early stabilisation.

“No emergency patient should be turned away. LASHMA will bear the cost while patients are stabilised and subsequently registered on the scheme,” Adedewe said.

Also speaking, Permanent Secretary, LASHMA, Dr Emmanuella Zamba, said the programme closes a critical gap that previously discouraged private healthcare providers from emergency participation due to uncertainty over payment.

She explained that both empanelled and non-empanelled facilities are now covered for emergency stabilisation, with LASHMA assuming responsibility for payment, while identification and insurance status are addressed after lives are saved.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Parastatal Monitoring Office, Hon Ibrahim Obanikoro, praised the affordability and inclusiveness of the Lagos health insurance scheme, describing LASHMA-AID as a move closer to global best practice.

Similarly, Permanent Secretary, Lagos Health District II, Dr Dayo Lajide, said the initiative would significantly improve emergency referrals, particularly in critical cases such as obstetric emergencies requiring urgent transfers from PHCs to general hospitals.

In a goodwill message, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr Olanrewaju Bajulaiye, represented by Mr Adesegun Ogundeji, pledged sustained public enlightenment to drive awareness and utilisation of the programme.

Closing the event, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Health, Dr Oluwatoni Adeyemi, said LASHMA-AID demonstrates Lagos State’s commitment to people-centred emergency care.

“The success of this programme will be measured by lives saved, faster response times and renewed public confidence, as Lagos positions itself as a reference point for organised emergency care in Nigeria,” she said.