Lagos unveils LASHMA-AID to save lives, ensure no patient is turned away

The Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) has unveiled an innovative approach to managing medical emergencies, ensuring that no emergency case is turned away without stabilisation in all health facilities in the state.

Its Board Chairman, Dr Adebayo Adedewe, said this at the inauguration of the Ilera Eko Emergency Services (LASHMA-AID) on Tuesday in Lagos.

Adedewe, represented by the LASHMA Permanent Secretary, Dr Emmanuella Zamba, disclosed that the ultimate goal of LASHMA-AID is to make emergency care in Lagos more timely, organised, and humane toward saving more lives.

According to him, the scope of coverage extends to 48 hours of in-facility treatment, necessary to stabilise active Ilera Eko enrollees and vulnerable residents.

He emphasised that LASHMA-AID is not just about ambulances and approvals; but about saving critical minutes and preserving lives.

“It is about ensuring that, in moments of crisis, our ILERA EKO enrollees and the vulnerable are not left unattended to, due to financial barriers, confusion, panic, or fear—whether at the scene of an emergency, at home, or in the office.

“Our swift response can protect their lives as the adage says, “a stitch in time saves nine”.

He noted that LASHMA-AID brings all stakeholders into a single, coordinated pathway for pre-hospital care, inter-facility transfer, and early stabilisation.

Adedewe stated that all key stakeholders—hospitals, ambulance service providers, regulators, and internal emergency team—have been duly sensitised and are ready to kick-start LASHMA-AID.

The chairman expressed optimism that providers will see the initiative not as a burden, but as a shared responsibility and an opportunity to demonstrate professionalism, empathy, and excellence.

“While LASHMA will coordinate, it is the daily decisions made by doctors, nurses, paramedics, call handlers, claims officers, and administrators that will determine the true success of LASHMA-AID.

“We ask all partners to see themselves as co-owners of this system.”

He affirmed that professionalism and integrity will remain the agency’s core values, stressing that LASHMA-AID is designed to support emergency care, not to be exploited.
Adedewe expressed confidence in the sense of duty and fairness of the majority of providers.

He, however, stressed that LASHMA would not hesitate to apply necessary checks and sanctions where abuses are detected to protect the integrity of the programme.

The chairman reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to continuous improvement, disclosing that usage patterns would be monitored, feedback reviewed from facilities and enrollees, and its processes as required to enhance service delivery.

“Our goal is not just to have an emergency programme, but one that becomes smarter, better, more responsive over time and a foundation for others to emulate.”

He pointed to the Section 6 and 7 of the Executive Order mandating social health insurance for all residents signed by Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on July 16, 2024, as being instrumental to the development of LASHMA-AID.

Adedewe commended Gov. Sanwo-Olu’s determination and commitment toward ensuring that Lagos residents have access to affordable and quality healthcare services.

LASHMA’s Coordinator of Regulations, Mr Tosin Awosika, said LASHMA-AID is to engender confidence in the minds of providers that all costs incurred during life-threatening emergencies are secured by LASHMA.

Awosika noted that this is to reduce needless loss of lives during emergency situations.

Similarly, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Health, said the inauguration of LASHMA-AID is a clear demonstration that Lagos is truly prepared to provide emergency medical support to residents.

Ogunyemi noted that for too long, emergency responses remained one of the weakest points in the healthcare delivery chain.

“Care was often fragmented and poorly coordinated, largely because patients were unable to immediately bear the financial burden of emergency treatment, while healthcare providers faced uncertainty about reimbursement.”

Ogunyemi lauded LASHMA for stepping up to close this critical gap through a structured, coordinated and financially protected emergency care system.

“Every single second counts in an emergency, and the difference between life and loss is often access. Access to healthcare and access without fear of catastrophic bills.”

In a quest to achieve universal health coverage, Ogunyemi said the Governor had demonstrated strong commitment to the state’s social health insurance scheme, ensuring that no one, irrespective of their socioeconomic status, is left behind in accessing affordable, quality, and equitable health care services.

This, she said, will reduce out-of-pocket payments for medical care, minimise the risk of catastrophic health expenditure, and provide residents with peace of mind whenever medical challenges arise.

To ensure vulnerable coverage, Ogunyemi said Gov. Sanwo-Olu dedicated one per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF), as an equity fund, increasing the equity fund from $1 billion to $3 billion annually.

Ogunyemi said the Governor also made the equity fund a form-like charge, making Sanwo-Olu the first and only governor to do so in Nigeria.

“Through LASHMA-AID, we are protecting lives, strengthening our healthcare system and building a Lagos where health is secure, emergency is timely and every resident has a fair chance to survive and thrive.”

Ogunyemi urged all healthcare facilities and ambulance service operators to capture and report emergency service data across the state seriously, stressing that accurate data collection is critical to the sustainability of the social health insurance scheme.