The panel set up by the Lagos State Government to probe last Tuesday’s death of Dr. Vwaere Diaso at the General Hospital, Odan has reported that the victim was trapped in the faulty elevator for one hour (from 6:50 pm to 7:50 pm).
According to the panel’s report, released on Sunday by the Permanent Secretary in the state’s Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr. Olumide Sogunle, resuscitation efforts failed and the young house officer was pronounced dead at 8:59 pm.
Sogunle dismissed the reports of blood not being available during the Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). He said: “It is important to state that blood samples for cross-matching had not been taken and there had not been a request for blood at the time CPR commenced. It is not true that blood was not available. The state has a strong network of screening centres where blood is available. Besides, there is a register of voluntary donors who can be mobilised at very short notice”.
He also said that the crashed elevator was new at installation in 2021. “Elevator experts working with the Lagos Safety Commission have carried out an initial inspection and will be removing the elevator for further mechanical examination to determine why the safety features that should prevent this kind of accident did not work. Their findings will determine if we have a case with the elevator installer”.
Sogunle reiterated the steps taken by the state government following its initial findings. The actions are:
- We have sacked and blacklisted the facility managers
- The GM of Lagos State Infrastructure and Asset Management Agency is to immediately proceed on suspension
- The operations and line of reporting of the facility managers have been restructured to involve the hospital management directly
- We have handed the installation and maintenance contractors to the police for further investigation and likely prosecution if they are found culpable. The police will also investigate anyone else that might have been found to be negligent
- Engineers are working to unravel why all the safety devices of the elevator failed at the same time
- All our staff are fully insured. We have informed our life insurance providers about this incident.
- The Lagos Safety Commission has been directed to immediately carry out an audit of all elevators in public offices. This is besides the usual safety arrangements that have always existed.
Last week, the Medical Guild, which is the umbrella body of all medical doctors in employment by the state government, said the process of installation of the malfunctioned elevator that led to Diaso’s death was done by a contractor who did not have an elevator system installation certification.
Chairman of the Guild, Dr. Sa’eid Ahmad said that the contractor, Orivac Engineering, had a general engineering qualification with purported years of experience that did not include elevator installation or maintenance.
