…Commissioner Says Smart Health Information Platform, Mandatory Health Insurance To Drive Reforms
Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to evidence-driven healthcare reforms, with the validation of a decade-long assessment of the state’s health system expected to strengthen policy decisions, improve resource allocation and provide lessons for healthcare delivery across Nigeria.
The commitment was reiterated at the Lagos State Stakeholder Validation Workshop on the Nigeria Health System Exemplar Analysis for Action Project, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at the Conference Room of the Ministry of Health, Alausa, Ikeja. The workshop reviewed emerging findings from a comprehensive assessment of the state’s health sector between 2013 and 2023, with stakeholders examining achievements, implementation challenges and opportunities for further improvement.
Speaking at the workshop, the State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said Lagos could not afford to adopt a reactive approach to healthcare delivery, given its population, strategic position and enormous human traffic. He noted that the state’s estimated population of 30 million, alongside its concentration of commercial, industrial and transportation activities, required proactive planning and the deployment of intellectual resources to anticipate emerging health challenges.
Abayomi stressed that reliable data remained central to effective governance, explaining that the Ministry routinely scrutinised information from public and private healthcare facilities, academic institutions and other sources to establish trends and guide decisions. “For us, data determines resource allocation. It informs our policies and guides legislative processes. Therefore, if we get the data wrong, we get everything else wrong,” he said.
The Commissioner disclosed that the state was advancing the implementation of the Lagos State Smart Health Information Platform (SHIP), a digital health initiative that commenced in 2019 and was approximately 40 per cent through its first phase, which focuses on government-owned health facilities. He said the platform would subsequently be extended to private healthcare providers to enable the government to obtain a comprehensive understanding of health-seeking behaviour across Lagos, adding that harmonised and reliable data would support the application of artificial intelligence and advanced analytics in healthcare planning.
Abayomi also described the enforcement of mandatory health insurance as a major milestone in the state’s health transformation agenda, noting that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had granted a three-month moratorium to allow preparations for implementation. He said the policy was expected to take effect from January 1, 2027, and would require intensified public enlightenment on the benefits of health insurance. According to him, the combined implementation of SHIP and mandatory health insurance would strengthen healthcare financing, improve health indices and position Lagos as a model for reforms that could be adopted nationally.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, said the workshop represented a critical stage in the Nigeria Health System Exemplar Analysis for Action Project, following the completion of data collection and fieldwork covering the 10-year review period. She said the validation exercise was designed to ensure that the emerging findings accurately reflected the state’s institutional journey, achievements and persistent implementation bottlenecks.
Ogunyemi urged stakeholders, including Ministry officials, primary healthcare managers, local government health officers, development partners, civil society organisations and Ward Development Committee representatives, to critically examine the findings and address outstanding data gaps. She identified local government health spending, workforce replacement policies, digital health infrastructure and community structures as key areas requiring further attention, stressing that credible evidence would provide actionable lessons for Lagos and other states.
The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Dayo Lajide, described the workshop as a significant milestone in the comprehensive mixed-method evaluation of the state’s healthcare system. She said the exercise, which began with an inception meeting on June 3, 2026, had progressed through qualitative analysis, policy and document reviews, key informant interviews and focus group discussions, culminating in the synthesis of findings for stakeholder validation.
Lajide emphasised the importance of harmonising administrative records, policy documents and stakeholder accounts, which could differ in coverage, reference periods and interpretation. She called for active participation in the validation process to ensure that the study’s findings were accurate, contextually relevant and capable of supporting practical reforms. She also acknowledged the contributions of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Gates Foundation, DJI Consult, Umura Integrated Service Limited and the state research team.
Representing the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, the Head of Health Systems Research at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Olusola Ayoola, described the project as an evolving landmark initiative designed to identify successful health system interventions and facilitate their adoption by other states. He said the study was not intended merely to rank states but to identify their respective strengths and weaknesses, noting that “the essence of this study is not simply to rank states but to identify what each state is doing well, strengthen those areas and learn from the experiences of other states.”
Ayoola said the study had examined states with varying levels of performance and geopolitical representation, resulting in the selection of 12 states for the analysis. He disclosed that the Federal Government was considering expanding the exercise to cover all states, adding that the findings would help identify areas requiring improvement and strengthen national health system performance. He also commended Lagos for its contributions to health security, particularly in view of its strategic position as a major entry point into the country.
The Lagos State Research Lead, Dr. Simisola Alabi, presented the emerging findings, which highlighted improvements in health financing, workforce development, information management, facility infrastructure and service delivery. The study showed that the state’s health budget increased more than fourfold between 2013 and 2024, while budget execution improved from 51.8 per cent in 2016 to 98.7 per cent in 2024. The number of nurses and midwives also increased by 48 per cent, from 2,050 to 3,033, while doctors rose by 36 per cent, from 865 to 1,173, between 2016 and 2023.
The findings attributed the progress to sustained political commitment, institutional reforms, improved financing, workforce recruitment and retention strategies, health insurance, community participation and strategic partnerships. Major interventions identified included the ILERA EKO Health Insurance Scheme, Basic Health Care Provision Fund, Drug Revolving Fund, maternal and child health programmes, primary healthcare infrastructure upgrades and the adoption of quality standards. However, the study also identified persistent challenges, including health worker migration, inadequate staffing, fluctuating health budget allocations, low health insurance uptake, infrastructure gaps and weaknesses in data accuracy and timeliness.
The Lagos State Focal Lead for the Exemplar Study, Dr. Tolu Babatope, outlined the next steps, including further engagement with relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies to obtain outstanding information on local government health financing and private sector contributions. She said additional data would be sourced from the Primary Health Care Board, the Ministry’s digital platforms and other relevant sources, with stakeholders’ recommendations incorporated into the action points guiding the next phase of the study.
Presenting the workshop objectives, the Director of Healthcare Planning, Research and Statistics, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Olajumoke Oyenuga, said the validation meeting would provide an opportunity for stakeholders to assess the accuracy, relevance and interpretation of the emerging findings. She explained that the exercise would also identify additional information and supporting documentation required to address data gaps, refine the analysis and prepare the state’s findings for the Joint Annual Review scheduled to hold in Abuja from November 10 to 12, 2026.
In closing, Oyenuga commended stakeholders, development partners and the research team for their contributions, describing the exercise as an important opportunity for Lagos to showcase its health sector achievements and identify areas requiring further improvement. She reaffirmed the state’s commitment to continuous research, collaboration and evidence-based reforms, while expressing appreciation to the Gates Foundation, Society for Family Health and other partners for their support towards strengthening the Lagos State health system.
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