The Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) emerged winner of the Outstanding Health Management Organisation of the Decade award. This occurred at the 13th annual EDGE Awards. The honour, therefore, solidifies its place as a key driver of health insurance and affordable healthcare access in Nigeria.

The event, themed “Excellence Beyond Borders,” took place at Balmoral Event Hall, Sheraton, Ikeja. The gathering, moreover, brought together leading brands, professionals, and institutions across multiple sectors. In his welcome address, Mr. John Ajayi, Publisher and CEO of Marketing Edge Group, explained that the awards honour brands and personalities. These individuals have shaped their industries through excellence, resilience, and innovation.

Ajayi noted that data, market insights, and investigative reviews determined the winners. He said, “We have honoured the brands, businesses, agencies, personalities, public service, sectoral and regulatory bodies. They have dared to dream big, overcome obstacles, and made a difference in their respective sectors.”

LASHMA’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Emmanuella Zamba, received the award. Mr. Lanre Green, Head of Customer Service, and Adeyinka Gbemibade, Assistant Director of Public Affairs, LASHMA represented her. Dr. Zamba thanked Marketing Edge for recognizing the Agency’s contributions. She subsequently pledged that LASHMA would continue to expand access to quality and affordable healthcare for Lagos residents. It achieves this through its flagship ILERA EKO social health insurance Plan.

She stressed, furthermore, that the Agency would sustain innovations. These innovations would encourage more residents to register. Doing this, consequently, would advance the Lagos State Government’s drive toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC). She appealed to residents to embrace ILERA EKO’s flexible packages. This helps reduce out-of-pocket health expenses and avoid financial strain.

“Registration is now seamless. Residents can self-register via USSD by dialling $\*670\*000\*6\#$, or through the LASHMA website. Also, we have introduced flexible payment options. These include the ILERA EKO Pay-Small-Small initiative and the ILERA N’TIWA Cooperative,” Dr Zamba said. She reminded Lagos residents to avoid paying cash to agents. Instead, they should use only the official LASHMA payment channels.

LASHMA began full operations in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic after its establishment by law in May 2015. Since then, it has played a pivotal role in improving health insurance uptake in Lagos State. It offers individual and family plans, as well as cooperative models. These models bring healthcare closer to vulnerable groups.

With this award, LASHMA joins the ranks of institutions recognized for transforming lives and shaping national development. Ultimately, the honour stands as a testament to its impact on Nigeria’s healthcare space. It shows its commitment to ensuring no resident is left behind in accessing essential medical services.

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