By Peter Dansu The Lagos State Government has cautioned health facilities, including the General Hospital in Badagry, following growing co...
By Peter Dansu
The Lagos State Government has cautioned health facilities, including the General Hospital in Badagry, following growing complaints that people enrolled in the Ilera Eko health insurance scheme are being denied access to essential drugs.
The warning was issued by the Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency, HEFAMAA, during a sensitisation campaign and town hall meeting held at the Badagry Local Government Secretariat. The session was aimed at helping residents understand the agency’s mandate and the standards expected from health providers.
HEFAMAA’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Abiola Idowu, represented by the Director of Research and Statistics, Dr Olorunfemi Olonire, confirmed that the agency has been receiving reports that insured patients are often told their prescribed drugs are unavailable shortly after seeing a doctor.
Dr Idowu noted that the agency has documented the complaints and will forward them to the Lagos State Health Management Authority, LASHMA, and the Permanent Secretary’s office for immediate action. She stressed that telling insured patients that between five and ten percent of their prescribed medications are unavailable weakens confidence in the health insurance scheme and puts patient safety at risk.
To improve monitoring and ensure that patients can easily report issues, HEFAMAA has introduced a QR code system in public health facilities across the state. With this system, any patient denied drugs covered under the insurance programme can simply scan the code and send in their complaint on the spot. These reports, she said, will be reviewed and passed on to the right authorities for prompt resolution.
Dr Idowu also warned against unlicensed practitioners, including traditional healers and auxiliary nurses, who administer intravenous treatments or carry out medical procedures in people’s homes. She explained that such actions often lead to serious complications, which are later blamed on accredited hospitals.
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