An umbrella body of medical doctors in the employment of the Lagos State Government, the Medical Guild has alleged that the elevator that led to the death of Dr Diaso Vwaere malfunctioned and failed to lift after it was installed in June 2021.
The Chairman of the Guild, Dr Sa’eid Ahmed, stated that the failure according to the contractor that installed the elevator was attributed to inadequate power supply from the generator that was hired to power the elevator during the commissioning.
Since its installation, he stated, there has not been any verifiable maintenance services provided by the installer while also noting the contractor, Orivac Engineering, has no elevator system installation certification.
Speaking at a press conference held to give an update on findings of investigative panels on the cause of death of the deceased member, Ahmed disclosed that the doctors’ quarter has been confronted by infrastructural challenges since its rehabilitation in 2015 to 2016.
He, however, called for the prosecution of those that are directed or indirectly involved in the tragic death of the late House officer while also appealing to the Lagos State Government to immortalise the memory of the deceased
He added, “The doctors’ quarter at the General Hospital, Odan, Lagos, has been confronted with a series of infrastructural challenges since its rehabilitation in 2015 to 2016.
The situation was so terrible that Medical House doctors would from the ground floor to the 10th floor fetched buckets of water for their domestic use.
There has not been any regular maintenance of the elevator which was supposed to be done every four weeks for optimum performance.
But this wasn’t the case until the unfortunate death of Dr Diaso Vwaere in the tragic collapse of the elevator.”
While appealing to the state government to install new elevator in the building by certified installer and ensure regular maintenance he called for the immortalisation of Dr Diaso Vwaere to preserve her memory and her family.
Vwaere, a medical house officer, with General Hospital, Odan, Lagos, died on August 1, as a result of injuries sustained when the elevator she was in crashed in the staff quarters of the hospital.
Consequently, the Lagos State Chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), has declared a 5-day mourning period over her death and also embark on an indefinite strike.
The incident angered her colleagues, who staged a peaceful protest on Aug. 2 at the hospital and also disrupted clinical services there.
The hospitals on indefinite strike include the General Hospital, Odan; Lagos Island Maternity Hospital and Massey Street Children’s Hospital.
The Medical Guild appealed to the Lagos State Government to investigate and prosecute the contractor, installers, and other persons involved in the shoddy installation and made them face the law.
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