LAGOS INTRODUCES NEW HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS FOR DIASPORA COMMUNITY
Read Time:5 Minute, 53 Second
BY FATIMA MUFTAU
During a media meeting on Tuesday at LASHMA’s 2025 fourth Quarter Media Parley in Alausa, stakeholders praised the move as a smart step to improve access to healthcare, support health funding, and push forward the goal of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Dr. Emmanuella Zamba, the Permanent Secretary of LASHMA, explained that the new plans—Waka-Well and Home Konnect—were created because of increased demand from people living overseas and the need to help both residents and visitors in Lagos under the state’s mandatory health insurance system.
She said this move matches the spirit of UHC Day, which is coming up in three days, and shows LASHMA’s effort to make sure everyone has access to healthcare.
Dr. Zamba also mentioned that LASHMA started holding quarterly media meetings in March 2025 to make things more transparent and help people understand the changes in the health system.
She pointed out that these meetings have become a trusted way to share new policies, innovations, and important achievements under the Lagos State Health Scheme (LSHS).
She talked about some new ideas the Agency has already introduced. She mentioned the Ilera-N-tiwa Cooperative, the Ilera-Eko Academy, telemedicine services, and the Ilera-Eko Spotlight Online Radio, which is Nigeria’s first health insurance radio platform. She said LASHMA keeps coming up with solutions that help more people join the program and make healthcare services better for millions of Lagosians.
When it came to the new plans for people living abroad, Dr. Zamba explained that LASHMA worked with some private companies, like Pinnacle Global Business Services, Nomad Doc Limited, and Mrs. Taiwo Salvador, to promote these products both in Nigeria and other countries.
She said breaking the diaspora package into two separate plans would help travelers, people living overseas, and families better get health coverage for their loved ones in Lagos.
The Permanent Secretary also promised that recent changes to the rules for maternity and surgical services are already showing good results.
She made it clear that these changes do not change the benefits people get under the social health insurance plan. Lagos families can still get antenatal care, normal and cesarean deliveries, and surgery as long as they meet the required conditions.
In his comments, Mr. Olanrewaju Bajulaiye, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Strategy, called Ilera-Eko the most affordable health plan for Lagos residents.
He said the plan is very cost–effective, pointing out that a family of six can get full health coverage for just about N180 to N220 a day. That’s less than the cost of a single sachet of paracetamol.
Mr. Bajulaiye asked media people to spread the word about the program widely. He said that word-of-mouth sharing can also be very helpful. He shared that the health scheme has already helped improve the health of mothers in several communities. He gave examples of women who benefited from the delivery services under the program without facing the usual financial problems.
He also said that the Executive Order signed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu made joining the program required for everyone living in Lagos.
He encouraged Lagosians to take this chance. He explained that the Agency has made healthcare accessible to people by setting up a large network of approved healthcare providers all over the state.
Also speaking, Mr. Jermaine Sanwo-Olu, who is the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Diaspora and Foreign Relations, praised Dr. Zamba and LASHMA for their innovative work in the African health insurance area.
He said that Nigerians all over the world are happy with the Waka-Well and Home Konnect packages, which he said solve real problems in supporting healthcare for people living abroad.
Mr. Jermaine explained that the Waka-Well plan focuses on people living away from Nigeria and those coming back to Lagos, especially during holidays, especially “Detty December”.
He said this plan ensures that they have low–cost, reliable, and quick access to health insurance. He described Lagos as a safe, welcoming, and economically strong place that needs a health insurance plan tailored for returning migrants and tourists.
He said the Home Konnect plan is a major help for millions of Nigerians living abroad who send money home for healthcare but find it hard to keep it going.
The new plan, he emphasized, gives structured and dependable coverage for family members in Lagos, and takes away the problem of expensive and hard-to-keep-up-with medical payments.
During a technical talk on the new plans for the diaspora, Mr. Rotimi Olatunji, Head of Business Development at LASHMA, said the Waka-Well plan covers common illnesses among travelers such as malaria, typhoid, and diarrhea.
It also covers diagnostic tests, emergency treatment, telemedicine, dental and eye care, and local ambulance transport. He mentioned that the plan costs £45,000 for a 90-day stay and £75,000 for multiple trips or longer stays.
Mr. Olatunji added that the target group includes tourists, charity workers, researchers, athletes, cultural groups, and non-residents.
He noted that over 550,000 Nigerians arrived at the Lagos airport by mid-November 2024,
On the Home Konnect plan, he explained that it allows people living abroad to easily pay for their family‘s health insurance in Lagos. The plan includes general and specialist doctor visits, physiotherapy, management of long–term illnesses, blood transfusions, surgeries, care for mothers and newborns, and yearly health check–ups. He mentioned that the potential market is over 20 million Nigerians who live outside Nigeria.
Mr. Akande Ojo, the CEO of Pinnacle Global Business Services LTD, praised LASHMA for its vision and said his company is ready to help spread these diaspora health plans in different parts of the world.
He pointed out that the increasing trust in Lagos’s health improvements makes it a good time to promote these plans internationally.
Another partner, Dr. Elizabeth Onifade, the Board Chairman of Nomad Doc LTD, said these plans will greatly improve health results, lighten the burden on families, and provide ongoing care for those who are more vulnerable in Lagos.
She promised her organization will fully support the marketing, technology, and service delivery of these plans.
The event also gave media people a chance to ask questions and get clear information about how the new plans will be run, how much people will have to pay, and which healthcare providers will be involved.
LASHMA promised that journalists will get all the necessary documents to help educate the public better.
With the start of the Waka-Well and Home Konnect plans, LASHMA ended its last media event for 2025.
Dr. Zamba is hopeful that 2026 will start with new energy as the agency introduces new plans to grow the number of people covered and build a stronger health insurance culture among young people and other groups.
She thanked journalists, people who signed up, and partners for their support all year, and reaffirmed LASHMA’s promise to provide affordable, quality healthcare to all residents of Lagos under the leadership of Governor Sanwo-Olu.
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