NGO urges LASG to Adopt telemedicine in health insurance

A non-governmental organisation, Society for Telemedicine and e-health in Nigeria, has urged the Lagos State government to adopt telemedicine into health insurance to ensure the poor have access to healthcare services in rural areas.

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This statement was made known during the second edition of a forum for digital health practitioners on policy development organised by the organization, in Ikeja.

SFTeHIN’s president, Dr Adeolu Arogundade, stated that digital healthcare was necessary to achieve universal healthcare coverage.

He said, “We need digital health to succeed so that people can be able to access healthcare. For that to happen, we must figure out a way to encourage digital health solution providers to complement and help deliver quality healthcare.

“It’s about learning from the experience of one another, capacity building and having a voice in policy direction. This is the reason for this platform.”

In his response, a doctor from the Lagos State College of Health Technology, Folasayo Ayegbayo, stated that the state government taking a strategic approach to the future of healthcare delivery, adding that it was important because it’s going to revolutionalise the whole thing and healthcare will never remain the same.

The Medical Director of Health Connect 247 and SFTehin’s Financial secretary, Dr Folarin Olasogba, also stressed the importance of the integration of telemedicine into health insurance.

SFTeHIN’s Public Relations Officer, Dr Rachael Akangbe, urged stakeholders in the health sector to cooperate and proffer solutions to the challenges in the sector.