The Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) has extended free health insurance coverage and welfare support to a set of quadruplets who lost their mother during childbirth, in a bid to ensure the children have access to quality healthcare and improved living conditions.
Anani, a 28-year-old teacher from Cross River State, reportedly died after delivering the quadruplets on February 27, 2026, at a private hospital not enrolled under the state’s ILERA EKO health insurance scheme.
The intervention followed a visit by the Permanent Secretary of LASHMA, Dr. Emmanuella Zamba, to the family of the late Mrs. Charity Anani at Ikotun, where she commiserated with the bereaved family and described the situation as deeply tragic.
Zamba said the agency decided to intervene to ensure the newborns and their caregivers receive adequate medical attention, noting that the father of the babies, Mr. Paul Anani, an Okada rider, would be supported through the state’s health insurance programme.
As part of the intervention, LASHMA enrolled the quadruplets, their father, and their grandparents, Sunday Anani and Rachael Anani, under the ILERA EKO health insurance scheme, which guarantees access to medical care, immunisation services, and other essential health benefits.
She explained that the coverage would also enable the agency to monitor the children’s health and ensure consistent access to healthcare services without financial burden on the family.
Zamba further urged well-meaning Nigerians to support the family, noting that the economic challenges in the country make collective assistance necessary to help raise the children.
She also encouraged Lagos residents to enroll in the ILERA EKO scheme, stressing that it reduces out-of-pocket medical expenses and provides access to a wide range of healthcare services, including treatment of common illnesses, chronic disease management, surgeries, specialist care, and emergency services.
“With N15,000 per annum, an individual will have access to quality healthcare services while with N55,000 or N80,000 per annum, a family of four or six respectively, can access care under ILERA EKO,” she said.
In his response, Paul Anani appreciated the Lagos State Government and LASHMA for the intervention, describing the support as timely and a major relief for the family.
The grandparents of the children also expressed gratitude, noting that the intervention came as a surprise and a great relief despite the family not being indigenes of Lagos State.
LASHMA reaffirmed its commitment to expanding access to quality healthcare across the state and ensuring that vulnerable residents are not left behind in the healthcare system.