Lagos: 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, announced this at the inauguration of the Ilera Eko Emergency Services (LASHMA-AID).
According to News Agency of Nigeria, 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. The scope of coverage extends to 48 hours of in-facility treatment necessary to stabilise active Ilera Eko enrollees and vulnerable residents.
Adedewe emphasised that LASHMA-AID is not just about ambulances and approvals; it is about saving critical minutes and preserving lives. It ensures that, in moments of crisis, ILERA EKO enrollees and the vulnerable are not left unattended due to financial barriers, confusion, panic, or fear-whether at the scene of an emergency, at home, or in the office.
He noted that LASHMA-AID brings all stakeholders into a single, coordinated pathway for pre-hospital care, inter-facility transfer, and early stabilisation. All key stakeholders-hospitals, ambulance service providers, regulators, and internal emergency teams-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. 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 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 processes enhanced to improve service delivery.
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 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 prepared to provide emergency medical support to residents. Ogunyemi noted that emergency responses have been a weak point in the healthcare delivery chain. Care was often fragmented and poorly coordinated due to patients’ inability to immediately bear the financial burden of emergency treatment and healthcare providers’ uncertainty about reimbursement.
Ogunyemi lauded LASHMA for closing this critical gap through a structured, coordinated, and financially protected emergency care system. She highlighted the importance of access to healthcare without fear of catastrophic bills in emergencies. Ogunyemi said the Governor’s commitment to the state’s social health insurance scheme ensures that no one is left behind in accessing affordable, quality, and equitable health care services.
To ensure vulnerable coverage, Ogunyemi said Gov. Sanwo-Olu dedicated one per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund as an equity fund, increasing the fund from $1 billion to $3 billion annually. The equity fund was made a form-like charge, making Sanwo-Olu the first and only governor to do so in Nigeria.
Through LASHMA-AID, Ogunyemi said Lagos is protecting lives, strengthening its healthcare system, and building a state where health is secure, emergency response is timely, and every resident has a fair chance to survive and thrive.