Sanwo-Olu outlines plans on Lagos universal health coverage

The Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said that commitment to strengthening public health research and boosting the capacity of healthcare workers towards achieving Item 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will contribute to a successful implementation of the Universal Health Coverage in the state. Sanwo-Olu made the disclosure yesterday at the annual symposium […]

The Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said that commitment to strengthening public health research and boosting the capacity of healthcare workers towards achieving Item 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will contribute to a successful implementation of the Universal Health Coverage in the state.

Sanwo-Olu made the disclosure yesterday at the annual symposium of the African Forum for Research and Education in Health (AFREhealth).

According to the governor, his administration had a plan to appoint a cabinet-rank official that would monitor the state’s performance in realising SDGs, particularly the Goal 3, which is to ensure universal health coverage and elimination of inequality.

“Lagos State takes healthcare as a priority, and if it gets it right, Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa will definitely have good indices to showcase to the world.

“To demonstrate our readiness, I have promised that my cabinet will have a government representative who will be involved in the decision-making at the cabinet level and whose responsibility would ensure that Lagos has up-to-date tracking of our progress in SDGs, especially health, education, safe water and environment. We have signed on to deliver all these goals,” the governor said.

Sanwo-Olu added that his administration would not relent in complementing the efforts of government health workers to achieve universal health coverage in line with the dictates of the United Nations.

He added that Lagos State introduced the first state-led health insurance scheme to increase access to quality healthcare for the vulnerable, and make health affordable to all residents irrespective of status.

The Director, Centre for Sustainable Development (CESDEV), University of Ibadan, Professor Olanrewaju Olaniyan, in his paper, observed that in 2018, more than two-thirds of countries in sub-Saharan Africa performed below the benchmark set by the UN for the realisation of the development goal, which, according to him, necessitated the need for increased investment in health research.