More than 1.5 million Lagos residents have enrolled in the state’s health insurance scheme, Ilera Eko, as the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration intensifies efforts to expand access to affordable healthcare.
Governor Sanwo-Olu disclosed this on Thursday at the opening of the second Eko Health Convention held at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The governor said the figure stood at 1,502,994 as of the end of May 2026, with women accounting for more than half of the enrollees.
He said the increasing use of the scheme showed that residents were not merely registering for health insurance but were actually accessing medical services through the programme.
“Today, more than one and a half million Lagosians are enrolled in Ilera Eko.
“As at the end of May this year, the figure stood at 1,502,994. More than half are women.
“And utilisation is rising, which tells us something important: that coverage is translating into actual care and not merely into cards in wallets,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The governor also disclosed that the Lagos State Health Management Agency’s Assistance in Distress programme had saved 18 lives since it commenced operations in March.
He said the programme had intervened in emergencies ranging from road traffic injuries and surgical emergencies to obstetric crises and strokes.
“Since it became operational in March, that programme has saved 18 lives,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu said the intervention demonstrated the importance of having a healthcare system that could respond quickly to emergencies regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.
The governor also announced the deployment of technology to transform healthcare delivery across the state through the Lagos Smart Health Information Platform.
According to him, the digital platform, currently being implemented across public health institutions, will allow patients’ medical records to be accessed seamlessly across healthcare facilities.
He said the system would also strengthen disease surveillance, improve healthcare planning and enable the government to make decisions based on reliable data.
Beyond digital records, Sanwo-Olu said Lagos was also investing in artificial intelligence and other digital innovations to improve diagnosis, medical imaging and overall healthcare delivery.
The governor said the technology-driven reforms were part of a broader strategy to build a healthcare system that would survive beyond his tenure.
He stressed that programmes such as Ilera Eko, the health districts and the digital health platform were being designed as lasting institutions rather than temporary government projects.
“We have kept our promises. Now we are building the systems that will keep them long after us,” he said.
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