Be Mindful of Elevators Technology
Doctors employed by the three government hospitals on Lagos Island have been ordered to go on an indefinite strike in protest at the passing of their colleague, Dr. Vwaere Diaso.
The Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association, which issued the order, also announced five days of mourning for the state.
The young doctor’s life was tragically cut short by incompetence, the NMA said in a statement on Wednesday that was co-signed by its state chairman, Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu, and secretary, Ismail Ajibowo.
The General Hospital, Odan, Lagos, the Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, and the Massey Street Children’s Hospital, all located in Lagos, will all join the ongoing strike.
“The NMA Lagos State received with great shock the death of one of our members, Dr. Vwaere Diaso, a medical house officer, who passed away as a result of injuries sustained when the elevator,” the statement said. This is awful, heartbreaking, and highly distressing. We express our condolences to her immediate family, her Island coworkers, the Medical Guild, and the whole body of physicians in Lagos State. According to the information we received, she was stranded in the elevator for over 40 minutes before being rescued.
“We also received reliable information that there was no blood available for resuscitation; as a result of the government’s assessment of the previous blood donation policy, this has become a recurrent problem.
“From our perspective, this was a preventable death; therefore it’s awful that it occurred. We are grieving and in anguish. We are fully aware that this particular elevator has long been a source of complaints to the pertinent authorities, with no relief.
Also, the NMA demanded a comprehensive, objective investigation into Diaso’s passing.
We call for a prompt, impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident and demand that everyone found to be responsible, especially Ms. Adenike Adekambi, general manager of the Lagos State Infrastructure Management Agency, be prosecuted. We also declare five days of statewide mourning.
We immediately order our doctors in all other government hospitals to scale back their activities as a sign of respect for our deceased colleague. “We direct all of our doctors in the three government hospitals on the Island (GH Lagos, LIMH, and MSCH) to begin indefinite strike action until the investigations are finished and justice is served. For the following, only urgent services should be provided.
“All other infrastructure in all of our government hospitals that needs repair should be quickly addressed,” the government said. “The government should as a matter of urgency begin the total overhaul of the house officers’ quarters on the island. To provide better services, the blood transfusion system in Lagos State needs to be immediately updated.
The Nigerian Medical Association, Lagos State State Officers Committee has agreed that the next Annual General Meeting shall be a low-key affair as a token of respect to our colleague in light of this unfortunate situation. The NMA Lagos State leadership is on top of the situation and will stop at nothing to make sure that justice is not only served but also perceived to have been served, thus we ask our coworkers to maintain their composure
