HEALTH SCHEME: LAGOS ADOPTS TECHNOLOGY TO AID EASY ACCESS FOR RESIDENTS
Ahead of the soon to be launched
mandatory Lagos State Health Scheme (LSHS), the State Government on Monday said
it would adopt a technology based application that would go a long way to
ensure easy access of the scheme by residents especially for underprivileged
households.
The LSHS is a state-wide health
insurance initiative targeted to ensure that all residents of the state have
access to quality, affordable health care services. The scheme covers treatment
of common adult and childhood ailments, maternal and child services, preventive
healthcare services, selected non-communicable diseases and surgeries.
Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide
Idris in a statement, said the technology, ‘CarePay’ ICT platform is a mobile
solution for scheme administration which serves as a digital health exchange
that would connect the three important stakeholders in Healthcare: payers,
healthcare providers and the users or beneficiaries.
He expressed optimism that the
CarePay platform “will guarantee ownership of all data generated and ensure
that these data can be used to make informed decisions”.
He said one of the objectives was to
demonstrate how digital mobile solutions can be utilized to improve
decision-making and transparency, reduce transaction costs, and increase access
especially for poor households.
Idris said in collaboration with the
State Ministry of Health, PharmAccess Foundation Nigeria, a non-governmental
organization dedicated to improving access to healthcare in Africa through
technology and mobile innovations, implemented the proof of concept mirroring
the LSHS benefit package, provider payment mechanisms and the interaction
between patients and providers.
He said the proof of concept has 153
families (659 enrollees) in two facilities (one private provider and one public
provider) in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.
Idris said: “Having run for a period
of twelve months, the pilot witnessed the 659 beneficiaries, whose premium was
paid for by PharmAccess Nigeria, received access to free healthcare for the
duration of the pilot.
“The results of this pilot show that
the scheme is doable and is a step in the right direction towards achieving Universal
Health Coverage (UHC) for the residents of Lagos State.”
According to the General Manager,
Lagos State Health Management Agency, Dr Peju Adenusi, the scheme is a
mandatory pre-paid health plan for all residents, adding that the LSHS aims to
as achieve universal coverage and provide financial protection against
catastrophic health care spending. “A healthy population is a productive
population,” Adenusi added.
On her part, Country Director of
PharmAccess Foundation Nigeria, Mrs Njide Ndili, the proof of concept which
started in September, 2017 was implemented to demonstrate how the scheme can
improve the lives of the most vulnerable population at scale, using the mobile
phone and light technology.
She explained that prior to
commencement of the proof of concept, field agents visited communities around
two selected hospitals - Igando General Hospital and Subol Hospital to recruit
eligible beneficiaries who will then be enrolled into the pilot.
“The Poverty Probability Index
identification tool was administered to identify those eligible for the pilot
programme and one of those found eligible was Mrs Morenikeji (surname
withheld), who hitherto was in a fix after she found out she was pregnant”.
“The 35 year-old was worried
over the financial implications the pregnancy would tax on them, given that she
has suffered from complications from previous pregnancies. Her worries were
rested by the LSHS benefit package which includes pregnancy, normal delivery,
caesarean section and post-natal care at Igando General Hospital”, Ndili said.
She added that Morenikeji is one of
many success stories from the pilot noting that she had a caesarian section in
which she was delivered of a healthy baby boy.
According to the Health Plans
Program Officer, PharmAccess Foundation Nigeria, Yemisi Khalidson, the pilot
was administered using the CarePay ICT platform, which he said would ensure
seamless implementation of the scheme on takeoff.
HEALTH SCHEME: LAGOS ADOPTS TECHNOLOGY TO AID EASY ACCESS FOR RESIDENTS
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