Agency funds surgeries, prolonged illnesses and other urgent treatments as GM calls for stronger fathers’ involvement in caring for children with disabilities
By TQM News,
For 30 Persons with Disabilities in Lagos State, Monday, 10 August 2026, was more than another day on the calendar.
It was a day of relief.
It was a day when the financial wall standing between them and urgently needed medical care began to come down.
The Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA) has disbursed a total of ₦50,404,506.78 in medical assistance to 30 Persons with Disabilities, providing a potentially life-changing intervention for beneficiaries facing surgeries, prolonged illnesses and other pressing medical needs.
The intervention, presented at the LASODA premises in Alausa, Ikeja, is part of a newly adopted initiative designed to provide direct financial support to Persons with Disabilities struggling with the cost of accessing essential healthcare.
For some beneficiaries, the assistance could mean undergoing a surgery they could not previously afford. For others, it could provide the financial breathing space needed to continue treatment for prolonged illnesses.
Either way, the message behind the intervention is significant: disability inclusion must also mean access to healthcare.
When healthcare becomes a financial battle
For many Persons with Disabilities, the challenges of accessing healthcare do not begin and end at the hospital door.
Medical consultations, drugs, diagnostic tests, surgeries, rehabilitation and long-term treatment can impose enormous financial demands on individuals and families.
Where disability intersects with poverty, unemployment or limited family income, obtaining adequate healthcare can become an exhausting struggle.
It was against this backdrop that LASODA introduced the intervention.
Speaking during the presentation, the agency’s General Manager, Mrs Adenike Oyetunde-Lawal, said the programme was designed to respond to the medical needs presented by beneficiaries.
“On behalf of the Lagos State Governor, the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, and the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs, we are giving you these funds to cater to your medical needs, ranging from surgeries to the treatment of prolonged illnesses and other medical conditions, as requested by you.”
The statement captures the immediate purpose of the intervention, but its significance goes beyond the cheques and hospital bills.
It raises a fundamental question about disability inclusion: What does inclusion mean if a person cannot afford the healthcare necessary to live with dignity?
Not just money—targeted medical intervention
LASODA explained that the financial support would not be distributed in a one-size-fits-all manner.
According to Oyetunde-Lawal, beneficiaries requiring substantial medical expenses would have their funds paid directly to the hospitals involved in their treatment.
Those requiring smaller amounts to manage prolonged medical conditions would receive the funds directly.
The arrangement is aimed at ensuring that the intervention is used for its intended medical purpose.
The LASODA boss therefore urged the beneficiaries to remain accountable and use the funds strictly for their healthcare needs.
“I urge you all to use the money for the purpose for which it is given.”
The approach also reflects the reality that medical needs differ from one person to another. While one beneficiary may require a major surgical procedure, another may need sustained medication or treatment over an extended period.
LASODA’s message to fathers: Don’t leave mothers alone
But the LASODA intervention was not solely about medical bills.
During the presentation, the General Manager opened another important conversation—the role of fathers in caring for children with disabilities.
Oyetunde-Lawal called on fathers to take greater responsibility for the care and wellbeing of their children with disabilities, stressing that children need the involvement and support of both parents.
Her comments drew attention to a reality faced by many families: mothers are sometimes left to carry the emotional, financial and practical responsibilities of raising children with disabilities almost alone.
“Fathers should try as much as possible to care for their children with disabilities. These children need both parents.”
For LASODA, supporting Persons with Disabilities therefore also means recognising the pressures experienced by their families and creating interventions that can reduce those burdens.
“We are doing this to ease the burden on our mothers, especially women who have been left alone to care for their children with disabilities.”
That message is particularly important in a society where disability-related caregiving can become disproportionately associated with mothers and other female relatives.
30 beneficiaries, one powerful message
The 30 beneficiaries expressed appreciation to the Lagos State Government and LASODA for the intervention.
For them, the assistance represents an opportunity to access treatment that might otherwise have remained out of reach because of cost.
But beyond the immediate beneficiaries, the intervention sends a wider message to the disability community.
It demonstrates the importance of public interventions that address real-life barriers rather than focusing solely on policies and declarations.
Healthcare is one of those barriers.
A person with a disability may have legal rights, educational opportunities and employment aspirations, but without access to affordable and appropriate healthcare, those opportunities can remain difficult to realise.
This is why disability inclusion cannot be separated from social protection and healthcare access.
From policy to practical support
Over the years, disability advocacy in Nigeria has increasingly moved beyond calls for recognition towards demands for practical inclusion.
Persons with Disabilities want to participate fully in society. They want access to education, employment, transportation, public infrastructure, political participation and healthcare.
But inclusion becomes meaningful when government interventions translate into tangible improvements in people’s lives.
The LASODA medical assistance programme offers one example of such practical support.
Its effectiveness, however, will ultimately depend on continuity, transparency, accessibility and the ability to reach more Persons with Disabilities who face similar challenges.
Thirty beneficiaries have received assistance.
But across Lagos State, many more PWDs may still be confronting medical challenges, inaccessible healthcare facilities and the high cost of treatment.
The question now is whether interventions of this nature can be sustained and expanded to meet the scale of the need.
“LASODA is here for you”
Reaffirming the agency’s commitment to the disability community, Oyetunde-Lawal assured Persons with Disabilities across Lagos State that LASODA would continue to pursue policies and programmes aimed at improving their welfare and quality of life.
“LASODA is here for you, and we will always promote your welfare through policies and programmes that improve your lives.”
That assurance will matter most when it is reflected consistently in the lives of Persons with Disabilities across the state.
For the 30 beneficiaries who received the ₦50.4 million intervention, however, the impact is immediate.
A medical bill has become less frightening.
A surgery may now be possible.
Treatment can continue.
And a family struggling under the weight of medical expenses may finally have some room to breathe.
For disability inclusion to be meaningful, dignity must not stop at the hospital gate. It must include the ability to access the care needed to live, participate and thrive.
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