Ahead of the soon to be launched mandatory Lagos State Health Scheme (LSHS), the state government on Monday said it will adopt a technology-based application that will 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.
Dr. Jide Idris, the state’s Commissioner for Health, in a statement, described the technology, ‘CarePay’ ICT platform as 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 utilised to improve decision-making and transparency, reduce transaction costs, and increase access especially for poor households.
According to him, the State Ministry of Health in collaboration with PharmAccess Foundation Nigeria, a non-governmental organisation 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.”
Dr Peju Adenusi, General Manager, Lagos State Health Management Agency, said the scheme was a mandatory pre-paid health plan for all residents, adding that the LSHS aimed to achieve universal coverage and provide financial protection against catastrophic health care spending.
“A healthy population is a productive population,” Adenusi added.
Mrs Njide Ndili, Country Director of PharmAccess Foundation Nigeria, said 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 would 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.
Yemisi Khalidson, the Health Plans Programme Officer, PharmAccess Foundation Nigeria, said the pilot was administered using the CarePay ICT platform, which he said would ensure seamless implementation of the scheme on takeoff.
He said: “The platform can manage various types of healthcare payments and healthcare benefits from different programs, and present these payments and benefits to the beneficiaries on their mobile phone in a clear and user friendly way.