Dr. Vwaere Diaso, a medical professional from Edo, lost her life on Tuesday at the General Hospital in Odan, Lagos Island, when the lift she was riding in crashed. Her dream was crushed.
The doctor had high hopes and expectations after being inducted last year after spending six years at Babcock University.
She expected to use her medical expertise to help the community and society as a whole, but the unfortunate incident dashed her hopes for a successful medical career.
She had less than two weeks left to complete her internship, which was discovered prior to her passing.
The crane was said to have fallen from the 10th floor, where she was, to the ground with a loud thud that shook the hospital’s foundation as a dispatch rider, who delivered the food she ordered online, called her on the phone to let her know that he was nearby. She was later discovered badly hurt in the wreckage.
Prior to Dr Diaso’s arrival at the hospital as a student physician, resident physicians and other hospital staff members had complained that the lift had been in poor condition since 2011 in addition to other infrastructure issues.
The lift was so terrible, according to The Guardian, that passengers had to manually close it in order to continue their journey.
An anonymous coworker of Daiso’s said: “The lift had stopped multiple times while we were inside. Additionally, there was no upkeep. Every time it happened, we reported it. The maximum weight that the lift is designed to support is 630 kg, or eight people.
You simply have to wait for the following batch once you open the lift and see two people inside. They were conscious of the flaw in it. We won’t accept this because of that, he said.
Gboyega Akosile, the chief press secretary to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and Olatunbosun Ogunbanwo, the director of public affairs for the ministry of health, both stated that the state government was looking into the incident’s underlying causes.
According to Akosile, the governor ordered a thorough investigation and warned that any state official found guilty would not escape punishment.
The late doctor’s friend, Dr. Joy Aifuobhokhan, recalled that she was the most intelligent, selfless, and joyful person she had ever encountered during her year of medical school.
She was a classmate of mine in medical school, Dr. Aifuobhokhan said in a statement to The Guardian yesterday. We worked together while at the medical school where we first met.
I was employed there from 2021 to 2022, and the lift was a major source of contention. I once got trapped in the lift and was fortunate to be rescued. Nearly all of the doctors were trapped in the lift.
Since 2011, medical professionals have been complaining about it. In addition, when we complained, they told us that they didn’t have doctor’s quarters during their time and we shouldn’t be complaining. The power was only restored there for two hours; there was no water and people had to climb to get water.
If a complaint has been made, she responded when asked, “We are under the Health Service Commission of Lagos State and we have written several letters to them and they only come around and conduct repairs, but the lift will become faulty the second day and we will go back to zero. The Medical Guild and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) are both aware of the situation, but nothing has been done about it.
She described the deceased as being the most intelligent of the group and always smiling and happy. While everyone was grumbling, Diaso would always smile and return to tend to the patients. Dr. Diaso was one of us who was best. She shouldn’t have to bear the cost of her carelessness.
We discussed how she would begin working where I am currently employed, and she expressed excitement about beginning her house job with us.
General Hospital Lagos, Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, and Massey Street Children Hospital are three government hospitals on the Island. Yesterday, the Lagos State Chapter of NMA requested that they go on an indefinite strike until justice is done.
In a statement, the Lagos State NMA Chairman, Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu, and his Secretary, Dr. Ismail Ajibowo, said the association also proclaimed a five-day period of statewide mourning in response to the death of Diaso, who suffered injuries after spending more than 40 minutes trapped in a lift at the Lagos General Hospital.
Her death, according to NMA, could have been prevented, and they demanded a prompt, unbiased investigation into the unfortunate incident’s circumstances. The body demanded that everyone found to be responsible for the accident be brought to justice, particularly Ms. Adenike Adekambi, General Manager of the Lagos State Infrastructure Management Agency (LASIAMA).
The government of Lagos State has also established an investigation into the doctor’s passing.
In a statement, the state expressed shock at learning of Dr. Diaso’s passing.
The statement read: “The state government, especially management and staff of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, condole with the family of the deceased on the regrettable loss of their daughter, who passed away as a result of a mechanical failure of a lift at the General Hospital, Odan, Lagos Island.
Read Also: Sanwo-Olu vows thorough investigation, condoles with victim’s family: Diaso
The Lagos State Ministry of Health, the Lagos State Health Service Commission, the Lagos State Safety Commission, and certified experts in lift and vertical transportation equipment have assembled a team to conduct an investigation.
The Lagos State Government will make sure that anyone found guilty of negligence receives the proper punishment, according to the inquiry’s report.
