Young Doctor Dies In Elevator Accident At Lagos' Odan General Hospital
An elevator accident has claimed the life of a young doctor at Odan General Hospital on Lagos Island, Lagos State. Dr Vwaere Diaso died while using an elevator that reportedly crashed from the 10th floor of the General Hospital.
A harrowing video of the destroyed elevator, now widespread on social media, depicts the tragic series of events that led to her death. Suspicions of corruption and a persistent failure to effectively maintain and repair the equipment have fanned public fury.
According to reports, the hospital's lift had been inoperable for well over a year. It has been revealed that hospital management ignored repeated complaints from resident doctors regarding the facility's worsening condition.
An unnamed medical practitioner made a worrisome observation: “Management’s neglect went beyond mere oversight. Funds were misused, complaints from doctors were ignored, and even salaries are overdue. Voicing concerns leads to threats of license suspension. It’s a system that’s failing us.”
Another unnamed medical expert comments on the pattern of neglect: “The signs were there, from minor faults to larger failures, until the unthinkable happened. It’s not an accident; it was foreseeable, even inevitable. The system failed a colleague, a friend.”
Demands for answers and action have surfaced in the wake of this tragedy.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and related groups have called for a thorough probe. There is a resounding need for justice, and urgent changes are being demanded to make healthcare facilities safer for both medical professionals and patients. A walk by aggrieved friends and colleagues, demanding justice for the deceased is also underway.
NMA Lagos State has released a press statement to this effect:
"The NMA Lagos State received with rude shock the death of one of our members, Dr Diaso Vwaere, a medical house officer, whose death occurred as a result of injuries sustained when the elevator she was in crashed. This is heartbreaking, heart wrenching and quite unfortunate. We commiserate with her immediate family, her colleagues on the island, Medical Guild, and all body of doctors in Lagos State. Information we got was that she was trapped in the elevator for more than 40mins before she was rescued," it reads.
"We were also reliably informed that there was no blood available for resuscitation, and this has become a recurring issue as a result of the review made by government on the previous policy on blood donation."
The NMA describes the incident as "an avoidable death", acknowledging that the elevator had been "a source of problem for many years during which several complaints have been made to all relevant agencies with no respite."
The NMA has declared a 5 day statewide mourning period, demanding an immediate, unbiased investigation into the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate incident.
The association has also directed all doctors in the three government hospitals on the island (GH Lagos, LIMH, and MSCH) to commence indefinite strike action until the investigations are completed and justice served.
"We immediately direct our doctors in all the other government hospitals to scale down activities as a mark of respect for our dead colleague. Only emergency services should be rendered for the next 5 days," the statement read.