The Lagos State government has renewed its push for mandatory health insurance.
It said expanded coverage is critical to preventing families from being pushed into poverty by the cost of life-saving medical treatment.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, announced this on Tuesday while hosting beneficiaries of the state’s Free Health Initiative who underwent complex cardiac procedures with government support.
Abayomi said the recovery of the beneficiaries underscored the need for a health financing system that would ensure residents can access specialist care without having to sell homes, land or exhaust their savings.
‘For us as government, in healthcare delivery, there is one side that is the ability to treat, and then there is the other side, which is who pays for it, because there is nothing free,’ he said.
The commissioner said the recently issued executive order making health insurance compulsory in Lagos was aimed at addressing the financial barriers that prevent residents from obtaining timely treatment.
‘Your health is your greatest asset. Insure it,’ Abayomi said, adding that insurance would spread the financial burden of healthcare across the population and protect families from catastrophic expenditure.
The health commissioner said the state was simultaneously investing in specialist capacity to reduce dependence on overseas medical treatment, particularly for complex procedures.
According to him, Lagos is working to develop local capacity for advanced cardiac and paediatric procedures so that residents would no longer have to travel to other countries, such as India, the United Kingdom (UK), the United States (U.S.A.), and South Africa, for treatments that could be provided locally.
Abayomi specifically hailed cardiothoracic surgeon, Prof. Bode Falase, for remaining in Nigeria and helping to build advanced cardiac surgery capacity in Lagos.
‘We’re trying to build that capacity on the ground so that when the next patient that comes, we will not be in a position to send you to India,’ he said.
The commissioner also pointed to the proposed Massey Children’s Specialist Referral Centre as part of the state’s efforts to strengthen specialised healthcare.
The state government’s renewed health insurance campaign comes as beneficiaries recounted difficult journeys through life-threatening illnesses before receiving state-supported treatment.
One of them, 19-year-old Lydia Ogungbayi, underwent a complex cardiac operation in December 2025 after living with progressive massive anasarca associated with constrictive pericarditis for five years and nine months.
The Director of Medical Administration, Training and Programmes in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Mazeedat Erinosho, said the state provided ?5 million towards Lydia’s treatment, while additional resources were mobilised to complement the operation.
She said the surgery, performed a day before Lydia’s birthday, lasted about 10 hours.
Falase, who led the surgical team, said Lydia had first presented at the cardiothoracic clinic in 2024 and returned several times before preparations for surgery began in 2025.
‘Lydia, who I’m seeing here today, is completely changed,’ he said.
Another beneficiary, 16-year-old Moshood Muritala, was diagnosed with Transposition of the Great Arteries and underwent multiple surgeries in India. He reportedly spent more than a month on a ventilator before additional funding, including $10,000 raised through government and private support, enabled his return to Nigeria about three weeks ago.
Three-year-old Ayoife George, who was diagnosed with Ventricular Septal Defect and Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction, also received cardiac surgery at Aster MIMS Calicut Hospital in Kerala, India, with state support.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, said the cases reflected the administration’s commitment to ensuring access to quality healthcare despite limitations in available resources.
She said the Ministry receives hundreds of applications from residents seeking financial assistance for treatment, refunds or overseas medical care, making it necessary for the government to prioritise cases.
‘Choosing who to help is one of the most difficult things you can ever imagine,’ Ogunyemi said.
The governor’s aide said the state would continue to prioritise life-saving interventions while strengthening healthcare infrastructure and specialist capacity.
The Permanent Secretary in the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Dayo Lajide, said the successful outcomes also reflected the extensive administrative processes involved in securing government-funded treatment.
She said the process often involved approvals, documentation, telephone calls and efforts to secure funds before patients could receive treatment.
The state government said its long-term objective was to combine stronger health insurance coverage with expanded local specialist capacity, reducing both the financial burden of illness and the need for overseas medical treatment.
Abayomi said the ultimate goal was to ensure that illness did not drive Lagos residents into poverty.
‘We don’t want anybody in Lagos to be plunged into poverty because they got sick,’ he said.