LASHMA Warns Against Fraudulent Health Insurance Premium Payments in Lagos

• Dr Zamba explained that LASHMA begins activating enrollees on the 26th of each month after the premium payment cutoff date of the 25th
• She encouraged residents to utilize self-payment options,
• She disclosed that all the culprits who had earlier been dismissed have been apprehended and handed over to the Law Enforcement Agents.

The Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) has cautioned residents against making ILERA EKO Health Insurance premium payments into any private bank accounts.

Eko Hot Blog reports that Dr. Emmanuella Zamba, the Permanent Secretary of LASHMA, emphasized the agency’s zero-cash policy and stated that any requests for payments into personal accounts, except for the dedicated Lagos State Health Fund (LASHEF) account, are fraudulent and criminal.

EDITOR’S PICK

• Super Eagles Vs Zimbabwe: Coach Chelle Warns Of Tough World Cup Qualifier
• Samsung Co-CEO Han Jong-hee Dies At 63
• Justice Egwuatu Withdraws From Natasha’s Suit After Petition From Akpabio

Responding to a misleading WhatsApp message claiming that LASHMA is not activating enrollees and cannot provide a specific activation timeline, Dr. Zamba clarified that the information is false and did not originate from the agency.

She explained that LASHMA begins activating enrollees on the 26th of each month after the premium payment cutoff date of the 25th, and emphasized that the agency has consistently activated enrollees on a monthly basis since its inception in 2020.

Dr. Zamba urged residents to disregard any false information and protect themselves against potential scams designed to swindle them out of their money for personal gain.

An investigation by LASHMA uncovered instances where individuals who collected insurance premiums from residents either delayed submitting the payments or failed to forward them to the State Government’s coffers.

In light of this, any unconfirmed or untraceable payments will not be activated until the agency verifies the transaction.

To combat this issue, the permanent secretary said the ILERA EKO enrollees must pay their health insurance premiums directly into the government’s dedicated account through authorized channels, including LASHMA offices, the LASHMA website, or designated USSD codes and payment platforms

Dr. Zamba encouraged residents to utilize self-payment options, such as e-bills, the LASHMA Website: www.lashma.com, or through the USSD Code *6700*006# or any other payment channels such as Quickteller.

Dr. Zamba also emphasized the importance of including policy numbers and names during payment to enable efficient verification by the agency.

She urged residents to report any suspicious requests for payments to personal accounts or any unsolicited messages to the agency, as these actions could indicate fraudulent intentions.

Dr. 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 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.

Dr. Zamba disclosed that all the culprits who had earlier been dismissed have been apprehended and handed over to the Law Enforcement Agents.

She assured residents that if there is still any other perpetrator behind these frivolous Whatsapp messages, such persons would also be apprehended by the Agency and brought to book.

FURTHER READING

• Five Potential Replacements to Watch Out for If Senator Natasha’s Recall Process Succeeds
• Senate Set To Approve Tinubu’s Tax Reform Bills Today
• Ibok-Ete Ibas Appoints Professor Worika As Rivers SSG

She promised that LASHMA would continue to do its best to ensure that every resident, irrespective of their socio-economic status, has access to affordable, equitable, reliable, and quality healthcare services in the state.

Click here to watch video of the week