Medical Laboratory Scientist Abimbola Adekoya Julius has emerged as the new chairman of the Lagos State branch of the Health Care Providers Association of Nigeria (HCPAN), succeeding Pharm. Biola Paul-Ozieh, whose tenure ended after four years.
Adekoya was unanimously elected at the association’s 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM), held alongside its scientific conference at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Alausa, Ikeja, on Tuesday, October 20.
His emergence comes amid renewed calls by healthcare professionals and government representatives for expanded health insurance coverage, particularly among informal-sector workers who often face financial barriers to accessing essential healthcare services.
Speaking after his election, Adekoya pledged to promote unity among the various professional groups within HCPAN, strengthen engagement with relevant institutions and pursue practical solutions to challenges confronting healthcare providers and the wider health sector.
He identified stronger advocacy, improved visibility for the association, members’ welfare and financial independence as priorities of his administration.
The new chairman, who previously served as vice chairman representing medical laboratory scientists, also promised to ensure that the interests of the association’s component professional groups were adequately represented in decision-making.
He said his administration would deepen collaboration with key stakeholders, including the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA), the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) and health maintenance organisations (HMOs), to improve healthcare delivery and address challenges associated with health insurance.
Adekoya urged members to move beyond merely identifying problems to developing workable solutions that would strengthen the association and improve the quality of healthcare services available to residents.
Informal Sector Workers in Focus
The need to extend health insurance to more Nigerians, particularly workers in the informal sector, featured prominently at the conference.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, represented by the Deputy Director of the Research Unit at the state Ministry of Health, Dr Tolu Babatope, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to expanding health insurance coverage under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration and its T.H.E.M.E.S.+ development agenda.
Abayomi said the state was implementing its mandatory health insurance policy, with LASHMA promoting affordable premium options and grassroots enrolment to encourage more residents to participate in insurance schemes.
He stressed that achieving broader coverage would require the involvement of different categories of healthcare professionals, including community pharmacists and diagnostic service providers, whose proximity to communities could help improve access to healthcare.
However, he acknowledged persistent challenges relating to reimbursement tariffs, claims processing and digital infrastructure, which he said needed to be addressed to improve the effectiveness of health insurance delivery.
The commissioner also highlighted the Lagos Smart Health Information Platform (SHIP) as part of the state’s efforts to improve coordination and patient information management.
Outgoing Chairman Raises Concerns
Earlier, the outgoing chairman, Paul-Ozieh, expressed concern over the limited reach of health insurance in Nigeria and the continued dependence of many households on out-of-pocket payments to finance medical care.
She called for stronger community-based health insurance arrangements that would accommodate the financial circumstances of vulnerable populations, especially informal-sector workers whose earnings could make regular premium payments difficult.
Paul-Ozieh identified delayed reimbursements, tariffs that failed to reflect prevailing economic realities, the exclusion of some professional groups and the attitudes of some enrollees as challenges confronting healthcare providers participating in insurance schemes.
She urged government agencies, insurance administrators and healthcare professionals to work collaboratively to address the concerns, stressing that sustainable insurance arrangements must protect the interests of beneficiaries while ensuring that participating providers could continue to deliver quality services.
Her comments underscored concerns among healthcare providers that inadequate reimbursement arrangements could undermine their participation in health insurance schemes and affect service delivery.
DrugStoc CEO Advocates Flexible Contributions
The keynote speaker, the Chief Executive Officer of DrugStoc Limited, Dr Chibuzo Opara, represented by Dr Damilare Ojo, also called for more responsive community-based health insurance schemes tailored to the needs of informal-sector workers.
Opara maintained that the success of health insurance should not be measured by enrolment figures alone but by whether insured persons could access quality healthcare and essential medicines when needed.
He advocated flexible contribution arrangements, accessible enrolment channels, clearer communication of benefits and faster claims settlement to encourage participation and improve public confidence in health insurance schemes.
He also highlighted the role of community pharmacies in expanding access to care, noting that their integration into insurance programmes would require appropriate accreditation, effective referral systems and fair reimbursement arrangements.
The conference featured a presentation on the sub-theme, “Opportunities and Challenges of Participation of Diverse Healthcare Professionals in the Upscaling of Health Insurance in Nigeria.”
The topic was addressed by the Lagos Zonal Coordinator of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Pharm. Olufemi Adeoye, who was represented by Nwaohiri Chinyere.
New Executive Committee
The conference was chaired by Prof. Daniel Odebiyi, Deputy Provost of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Idi-Araba, while the National President of HCPAN, Dr Austine Aipoh, served as chief host.
Other dignitaries included Dr Anthony Omolola, a former president of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria and HCPAN; the Executive Secretary of HEFAMAA, Dr Victoria Egunjobi, represented by Dr Iboma Godswill; and the Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, Pharm. Tolu Ajayi.
Award plaques were presented to dignitaries and invited speakers in recognition of their contributions and participation in the conference.
Other members of the newly elected executive committee are Dr Akinlade Benedict Adedayo, Deputy Chairman; Pharm. Ajalo Abraham O., General Secretary; Dr Joy Onukwu, Assistant General Secretary; Medical Laboratory Scientist Ameh Ojoma Salamatu, Financial Secretary; Radiographer Olagunju-Moshood Tawakalt, Treasurer; Nrs. Jimoh Ayuba, Publicity Secretary; Pharm. Charles Okhe, Internal Auditor; and Pharm. Abiola Paul-Ozieh, Ex-officio.
As the new leadership assumes office, stakeholders at the conference stressed that expanding health insurance coverage would require sustained collaboration among government agencies, insurance administrators and healthcare professionals, alongside practical measures to make contributions affordable, reimbursements timely and essential healthcare services accessible to more Nigerians.