…Reform will strengthen insurance coverage entry, personal sector participation, others – SANWO-OLU
… LPHP ends mistrust, unhealthy pricing – Prof. Abayomi
By Chioma Obinna
To drive Common Well being Protection, UHC, the Lagos State Authorities on Tuesday launched considered one of its most consequential well being financing reforms in years with the disclosing of the Lagos Personal Well being Partnership, LPHP, a unified public–personal framework designed to restructure well being financing, develop insurance coverage protection, and guarantee equitable entry to high quality healthcare.
The initiative, introduced at an occasion attended by high authorities officers, regulators, insurers, improvement companions, and monetary establishments, was positioned as a turning level for common well being protection within the state.
Talking, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, referred to as the reform a decisive leap towards a resilient well being financing construction able to defending households from catastrophic well being spending. Represented by the Secretary to the State Authorities, Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin, he stated: “The LPHP demonstrates Lagos’ seriousness in changing necessary medical insurance into sensible and scalable outcomes.
“The initiative straight stems from Lagos’ implementation of the NHIA Act of 2022, following an Govt Order in 2024 that made medical insurance obligatory for all residents and established enforcement mechanisms.”
The Governor stated the LPHP emerged after a multi-stakeholder Technical Working Group really helpful operational tips to align personal sector participation with state coverage, threat pooling, and digital accountability.
“The reform is anticipated to strengthen the personal well being sector, which delivers greater than 70 % of healthcare encounters in Lagos, whereas giving insurers and suppliers a transparent, predictable framework that balances enterprise sustainability with fairness.”
He additionally introduced the state’s adoption of a population-based enrolment mannequin for private-sector staff to enhance threat distribution and entry to subsidised plans.
Talking, the State Commissioner for Well being, Prof Akin Abayomi, stated the launch marks a decisive finish to a fragmented and mistrusted insurance coverage market the place unhealthy pricing, opaque operations, and enrollee dissatisfaction had eroded confidence.
He stated the LPHP was engineered to rebuild belief and sustainability by means of truthful pricing, clear procurement, and stronger supply requirements.
Abayomi warned that regardless of Lagos’ inhabitants of over 25 million and powerful financial profile, “well being financing stays insufficient, insurance coverage penetration stays low, and medical tourism continues to empty each confidence and capital.”
He described the LPHP because the strongest lever but to reverse these tendencies and enhance well being outcomes. He additionally disclosed that the platform is underpinned by a digital market masking enrolment, supplier choice, claims, monitoring, reporting, and analysis.
“This systemwill shift competitors from worth undercutting to value-driven outcomes and standardised service high quality. The total enforcement of necessary medical insurance will start after a six-month sensitisation interval, in step with the Governor’s directive to develop threat pooling and monetary safety.
He burdened that with out broad enrolment, the state can’t construct a purposeful insurance coverage ecosystem able to delivering equitable and people-centred care.”
Throughout his technical presentation, Abayomi outlined LPHP’s plan for a state-managed threat equalisation and solidarity fund that can require personal insurers to contribute 13 % of premiums. The fund is designed to defend susceptible teams, strengthen emergency response, and help common well being protection.
He projected that if 20 million Lagos residents enrol at a median annual premium of ₦20,000, greater than ₦400 billion might movement into the healthcare financing system annually.
Chairman of the Lagos State Well being Administration Company (LASHMA), Adebayo Adedewe, described the LPHP as a reputable resolution to systemic failures within the insurance coverage house. He counseled the state’s intensive technical and stakeholder consultations and pledged full alignment with the reform, calling it a watershed second in Lagos’ well being financing evolution.
Nationwide Adviser on Well being Insurance coverage Issues for the Healthcare Suppliers Affiliation of Nigeria (HCPAN), Jimi Arigbabuwo, stated the launch marks a turning level in recognising personal healthcare suppliers who ship nearly all of companies in Nigeria. He urged authorities to prioritise truthful compensation to make sure sustainability, affected person satisfaction, and lowered medical tourism.
The Managing Director of Sterling Financial institution, Abubakar Suleiman, stated the financial institution’s help for LPHP aligns with its HEART agenda and is geared toward resolving structural weaknesses that make healthcare financing unaffordable. He stated Lagos has set a pioneering mannequin for Africa by making a unified digital market the place transparency, built-in funds, and enrollee empowerment form value-based care. He added that the financial institution’s collaboration entails not solely financing but additionally digital infrastructure to ensure real-time accountability.
Stakeholders on the occasion agreed that LPHP represents one of the crucial complete well being financing reforms in Nigeria and will function a nationwide mannequin. They burdened that success will rely upon steady multisector engagement, sturdy public consciousness, and agency coverage enforcement.
The publish UHC: Lagos unveils new well being financing reforms, LPHP appeared first on Vanguard Information.
