By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Lagos State Government has renewed its commitment to expanding access to advanced cardiac care and protecting residents from the financial burden of critical illnesses, as beneficiaries of its Free Health Initiative recounted how government intervention helped save their lives.
The beneficiaries, including 19-year-old Lydia Ogungbayi, 16-year-old Moshood Muritala and three-year-old Ayoife George, shared their experiences on Tuesday, 11 August, 2026 during a courtesy visit to the Ministry of Health, where they were received by the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, and Permanent Secretary, Dr Dayo Lajide.
Abayomi said their recovery underscored the importance of combining government funding, specialist expertise, modern equipment and health insurance to ensure residents could access life-saving treatment without falling into financial hardship.
He said the state was deliberately building local capacity for complex medical procedures to reduce dependence on overseas treatment.
The Commissioner commended cardiothoracic surgeon, Prof. Bode Falase, and his team for developing advanced cardiac surgery capacity in Lagos, noting that such expertise required years of specialised training and experience.
Abayomi said Falase had the opportunity to leave Nigeria but chose to remain and contribute to the development of cardiothoracic surgery in the country, describing him as an example of the specialists Lagos needed to retain.
He disclosed that the government was also investing in specialised infrastructure, including the proposed Massey Children’s Specialist Referral Centre, to enable more complex procedures, particularly for children, to be performed in Lagos rather than abroad.
The Commissioner further used the occasion to strengthen the state’s campaign for mandatory health insurance, following the executive order making health insurance compulsory in Lagos.
He said the policy would protect families from financial devastation caused by serious illnesses, urging residents to insure their health.
Abayomi explained that health insurance would allow healthy people to contribute to a pool that supports those who fall ill, reducing the need for families to sell property or exhaust their savings to pay medical bills.
Earlier, Ogunyemi said the beneficiaries’ recovery reflected the commitment of the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration, under the THEMES Plus Agenda, to ensuring that residents receive quality healthcare even when the required treatment is unavailable locally.
She said the Ministry receives hundreds of applications from residents seeking assistance for treatment, refunds or overseas medical care, but limited resources make it necessary to prioritise cases.
Ogunyemi commended Dr Mazeedat Erinosho and her team for painstakingly reviewing applications and securing funding for deserving patients.
She recalled that Moshood’s case became particularly difficult after he was stranded in India following complications and prolonged treatment, which created additional financial demands.
Describing the decision-making process as difficult, Ogunyemi said the government must nevertheless make choices based on available resources.
She also commended Falase and the wider cardiothoracic team at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), stressing that successful cardiac surgery required the combined efforts of surgeons, physicians, anaesthetists, nurses and other health professionals.
The state government said the beneficiaries’ experiences had reinforced the need to expand specialist healthcare capacity locally while widening health insurance coverage to protect residents from the financial consequences of critical illnesses.
