The Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) has introduced two new health insurance packages targeting Nigerians living abroad and visitors to the state, expanding its Ilera-Eko diaspora offerings.
The unveiling took place on Tuesday at the Agency’s fourth-quarter 2025 media parley in Alausa, where stakeholders praised the initiative as a strategic step toward improving access, strengthening health financing, and advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Speaking at the event, LASHMA Permanent Secretary Dr. Emmanuella Zamba said the new plans, Ilera-Eko Waka-Well and Ilera-Eko Home Konnect were developed in response to growing demand from diasporans and the need to protect residents and visitors under Lagos State’s mandatory health insurance framework.
She noted that the introduction of the plans aligns with UHC Day, which is marked in three days, and underscores the Agency’s commitment to leaving no one behind. Dr. Zamba highlighted that LASHMA launched quarterly media parley sessions in March 2025 to enhance transparency and public understanding of its reforms, which have become a reliable platform for sharing new policies, innovations, and achievements under the Lagos State Health Scheme (LSHS).
Dr. Zamba also recalled previous LASHMA innovations, including the Ilera-N’tiwa Cooperative, Ilera-Eko Academy, telemedicine services, and the Ilera-Eko Spotlight Online Radio, Nigeria’s first health insurance radio platform.
She emphasized that the Agency continues to introduce solutions to improve enrollment and strengthen service delivery for millions of Lagos residents.
On the new diaspora plans, Dr. Zamba explained that LASHMA partnered with private-sector organizations, Pinnacle Global Business Services, Nomad Doc Limited, and Mrs. Taiwo Salvador to market the products locally and internationally. The rebranding into two distinct plans aims to better serve travelers, diasporans, and families abroad seeking sustainable health coverage for their loved ones in Lagos.
She also assured residents that earlier policy adjustments regulating maternal and surgical services have begun to yield positive results and emphasized that benefits under the social health insurance plan remain unaffected, including antenatal care, normal and cesarean delivery, and surgical services.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr. Olanrewaju Bajulaiye, described Ilera-Eko as the most affordable health package for Lagos residents.
He highlighted that a family of six can access full health coverage for ₦180–₦220 per day less than the cost of a sachet of paracetamol. He urged media professionals to publicize the program widely, stressing the role of word-of-mouth promotion.
Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Diaspora and Foreign Relations, Mr. Jermaine Sanwo-Olu, commended LASHMA for its innovation, noting that Nigerians globally are celebrating the Waka-Well and Home Konnect packages.
He explained that Waka-Well targets diasporans and visitors returning to Lagos during festive seasons, providing affordable, reliable, and immediate health coverage.
The Home Konnect plan enables Nigerians abroad to pay premiums for family members in Lagos, covering consultations, physiotherapy, chronic disease management, surgeries, maternal and newborn care, and annual wellness screenings. Mr. Jermaine noted that the plan addresses gaps in diaspora healthcare support and reduces the burden of unsustainable medical remittances.
LASHMA’s Head of Business Development, Mr. Rotimi Olatunji, presented technical details: Waka-Well covers common traveler illnesses such as malaria, typhoid, and diarrhoea, as well as diagnostics, emergency care, telemedicine, dental and eye services, and local ambulance evacuation. The plan costs ₦45,000 for a 90-day stay and ₦75,000 for multiple trips or extended stays, targeting tourists, charity workers, researchers, sportsmen, cultural groups, and non-immigrants.
He noted that over 550,000 Nigerians arrived through Lagos airports by mid-November 2024, spending over ₦350 billion during the season, and said the new plan aims to transform “Dirty December” into a “Healthy December.”
On the Home Konnect plan, Mr. Olatunji emphasized its potential market of over 20 million Nigerians living abroad, providing a seamless way to secure comprehensive health coverage for loved ones in Lagos.
