Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has released funds from the equity of the State Health Scheme (LSHS) to provide free health care for 50,000 orphans, the elderly and the vulnerable.
The governor’s wife, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, disclosed this on Thursday at the celebration of 2020 Universal Health Care Coverage (UHC) Day, organised by the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) in Alausa, Ikeja.
She said the development became imperative because the government recognised that not everyone could afford the premium of the LSHS.
Mrs. Sanwo-Olu, represented by a former permanent secretary in the state, Dr. Bola Balogun, said: “It is gratifying to note that Mr Governor appreciates the fact that not everyone can afford the premium, and has approved the release of funds from the equity to provide free health care within the Lagos State Health Scheme for 50,000 orphans, the elderly and the vulnerable.’’
She said the UHC Day is celebrated annually as the rallying point for the growing global movement for Health for All, and that it was being observed in Lagos State in line with the agenda of the state government to ensure access to quality health care services for residents, irrespective of age or social status.
The Permanent Secretary/Accountant-General, Lagos State Treasury Office, Dr. Abiodun Muritala, has said the government is living up to the expectations and recommendations of local and international organisations in implementing impactful programmes for residents.
He spoke yesterday when officials of the Federal Ministry of Finance visited Lagos as part of their FY2020 statutory borrower’s monitoring and evaluation of donor assisted projects nationwide.
Muritala said the government had recorded successes with the “Save One Million Lives (SOML) project, APPEALS project, state’s Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) and Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) Master Plan Project.
He said the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration would utilise financial grants from local and international agencies for the betterment of Lagosians, to fulfil the yearnings of the over 20 million residents.
The team leader from the International Economic Relations Directorate of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Mrs. Aisha Umar, said the visit was to ensure that the development objectives of the donor assisted projects were achieved.
She said: “The team is on a monitoring and evaluation review of the implementation progress of the components under the projects and to follow up on outstanding issues as well as review project disbursement levels.” Thenationonlineng