BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI
The Lagos State Government is establishing a Social Health Insurance Scheme (SHIS) to help instutionlize a pre-paid health plan for the formal sector with the over all objective of an enhanced financial access to qualitative health services in the State.

Meanwhile Governor Babatunde Fashola has approved appointment of Prof. David Anthonio Adewale Oke as the new Chief Medical Director of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).

Disclosing these developments weekend, Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris said the on-going renovation of the mortuaries at Epe and Badagry General Hospitals will facilitate adoption of best practices in the hospitals.

He pointed out that the scaling up of the Indoor residual spraying exercise which will take place in Ikorodu local government and five Local Council Development Areas; Ojo LGA, Amuwo Odofin; Badagry and two LCDAs is to further engage the strategy of vector control as an integral part of the malaria control intervention thereby leading to the reduction of malaria-related disease burden.

Idris noted that in addition to the renovation of the mortuary at Epe General Hospital, contract for the redesign of the out-patient and clinical departments at the hospital have also been awarded just as that of the reconstruction of Ayinke House, Ikeja; Ibeju Lekki and Mainland General Hospitals have also been similarly awarded.

He reiterated that each of the 376 political ward in the state has a minimum of one functional primary health clinic in order to provide access, by the indigent and vulnerable members of the communities, to basic qualitative primary health care services.

Idris stressed the need for provision of comprehensive secondary healthcare services through the State Health Service Commission and the institution of the Health Sector Reforms including the SHIS by providing a minimum of one public secondary health facility to serve as a referral center for primary health facilities in each of the local government.

On the appointment of Oke, who is an honourary consultant Physician and cardiologist, Idris explained would bring to bear on LASUTH a distinguished working career that will enable him continue the drive to entrench the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital as the gold standard among teaching hospitals in Nigeria.

Oke who was born in Lagos on 16th January 1955 attended Ireti Primary School between 1960 and 1966; Birch Freeman High School and Igbobi College, Yaba (1966-1971 & 1971-1972); College of Medicine, University of Lagos (1974 – 1980); and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi- Araba between 1986 and 1992 for his post graduate studies.

He won the Best Resident Award in the department of Medicine at LUTH in 1992, is a member of the Association of Physicians of Nigerian, Nigerian Hypertension Society, Medical and Dental Association of Nigeria, Nigerian Cardiac Society, and the Nigerian Medical Association

Link to article: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/01/fashola-initiates-social-health-insurance-scheme/

I actually don't completely understand what is going on here, the article seems a bit scattered and poorly written.

However, increased access to healthcare is a good thing. Up BRF, up Lagos!