Doctor’s Death: Installer of faulty elevator handed over to police – Lagos govt

The Lagos State Government has said the installer of the faulty elevator which claimed the life of a medical doctor, Vwaere Daiso, at the state’s General Hospital, Odan, has been handed over to the police.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had earlier ordered an investigation into the death of Ms Diaso, who was on a one-year internship at the hospital and had only about two weeks to complete her programme.

According to a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Strategy, Olumide Sogunle, the panel met with the lift installer and the installation company’s representatives.

The installer, the statement noted, was thereafter handed over to the police for questioning.

The colleagues of the deceased Wednesday protested the unfortunate incident, accusing the hospital management of ignoring earlier complaints about the faulty elevator which they claimed had been faulty for over three years.

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Submission of findings

Highlighting the steps taken by the investigative panel, Mr Sogunle noted that a lift expert was invited to the accident scene to look at the lift and give a preliminary opinion, while other experts would now take the elevator out for a thorough mechanical and electrical examination.

“The panel was given 48 hours to conclude action, so it will submit a report of its initial findings on Saturday. And any other steps to be taken after that would be done by the appropriate authorities,” he said.

The statement added that the panel already met with the facility’s manager, management of the General Hospital, Lagos, and the Lagos State Infrastructure Asset Management Agency (LASIAMA), to unravel the circumstances surrounding the elevator accident.

The permanent secretary noted that six house officers and representatives of the medical associations were appointed as witnesses and as part of the panel.

He said the members of the panel include, “the Chairman of the Lagos State Health Service Commission (HSC), Permanent Secretary of the Health Service Commission, Director-General of the Safety Commission, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health; House officers and representatives of the medical associations.”

Doctors strike

In reaction to the death of Ms Diaso, the state’s chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), the umbrella body for the medical doctors in the country also directed its members across three hospitals in the state to commence an indefinite strike action.

NMA Chairman and Secretary in the state, Benjamin Olowojebutu, and Ajibowo Ismail, gave the directive in a joint statement Wednesday.

The affected hospitals are the General Hospital, Odan; Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, and Massey Street Children’s Hospital, also located on Lagos Island.

The association directed that the strike should continue until investigations into the cause of the death were completed and justice served.

NMA also directed all the doctors in other government hospitals in the state to scale down activities as a mark of respect for the late colleague.