LASHMA alerts Lagos residents on fraudulent ILERA EKO premium payments

The Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) has warned residents in the state not to pay the ILERA EKO Health Insurance premium into any private bank account.

The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA), Emmanuella Zamba, stated this today in Alausa, Ikeja, stressing that LASHMA operates a zero-cash policy and, therefore, any attempt to demand payment into an agent’s personal account, except the Lagos State Health Fund (LASHEF), which is the only dedicated bank account for the pool of funds for health insurance in the state, is fraudulent and criminal.

In response to a WhatsApp message that claimed the agency was not activating enrollees and that no time frame could be specified for potential activation, the Permanent Secretary said the information was fabricated, false, and untrue, and did not come from the agency.

According to Zamba, LASHMA allows enrollees to be activated starting on the 26th of each month following the premium payment deadline, which is the 25th of the same month. She also stated that LASHMA has never failed to activate its enrollees on a monthly basis since the Agency’s full launch in 2020.

The Permanent Secretary urged residents to disregard this information as it is an attempt to swindle them and divert residents’ money for personal use.

The investigation, according to Zamba, showed that individuals who personally collected residents’ premiums either failed to pay or postponed paying them into the state government’s coffers. She added that at the end of the month, when payments are being collated, any payment not seen by LASHMA or traced to a policy number would not be activated until the agency confirms such payment.

Enrollees on ILERA EKO, according to the Permanent Secretary, are only able to pay their health insurance premiums into the designated Government account via the POS at the LASHMA Head Office in Alausa, Ikeja, or at the different LASHMA Divisional, Sub-Divisional, or kiosk locations located throughout the state.

She said that they could also pay themselves through the bank using e-bills, the LASHMA website (www.lashma.com), the USSD code 6700006#, or any other payment method like Quickteller.

Zamba advised that while making the payment, residents should write their policy number and names in order to enable the agency to confirm the payment and match it with their names.

The Permanent Secretary urged residents not to hesitate to report anyone who demands that the ILERA EKO premium be paid to his or her personal account to the agency, or anyone who sends them any frivolous message.

Zamba reminded enrollees to call any of the 24/7 Customer Service Lines: 0800-ILERAEKO (0800-45372356) or 0800-ASKLASHMA (0800-275527462) to report, complain, or commend the agency.

She added that residents can also send WhatsApp messages to 07045358275 or 07046160051 in order to have access to the agency. The Permanent Secretary appealed to residents not to allow themselves to be swindled.

Zamba disclosed that all the culprits who had earlier been dismissed have been apprehended and handed over to law enforcement agents.

She assured residents that if there are any other perpetrators behind these frivolous WhatsApp messages, such persons will also be apprehended by the agency and brought to book.

She pledged that LASHMA would continue working to guarantee that all citizens, regardless of socioeconomic background, have access to reasonably priced, fair, dependable, and high-quality healthcare services in the state.