The Lagos State Government had refuted claims that blood was not available for the treatment of the medical doctor, Dr Vwaere Diasco, who died from injuries sustained in an elevator accident at the General Hospital, Odan, Lagos Island.
This followed reports in some sections of the media that the hospital lacked adequate emergency care as well as had an empty blood bank when the late medical doctor needed to be transfused.
The state government also pointed out that it has a strong network of screening centres where blood is available, adding that there is a register of voluntary donors who can be mobilised at very short notice.
This disclosure is contained in a press statement issued by the Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, where it gave an update on the current development as regards that elevator crash.
The state government also stated that blood samples for cross-matching had not been taken, noting that there had not been a request for blood at the time Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) commenced.
Panel immediately set up
- The statement reads, ‘’The Lagos State Government would like to, once again, acknowledge with deep regret the unfortunate elevator accident of Tuesday, 1st August 2023 at the House Officer’s residence of the General Hospital, Odan, which resulted in the death of Dr. Vwaere Diaso, a vibrant young house officer.
- ‘’We commiserate with her family and her colleagues and pray for the repose of her soul. As a Government, we feel the pain of this irreparable loss. May The Almighty console them and give them the strength to go through this difficult time.
- ‘’LASG, in recognition of the importance of providing functional and comfortable accommodation for health workers, outsourced the management of the House Officers Quarters to a facility management company.
- ‘’The Lagos State Infrastructure and Asset Management Agency (LASIAMA) oversees the activities of the facility management company. Following the incident, we immediately set up a panel to look into its likely causes, identify persons who might be culpable, and suggest ways of preventing any future occurrence.
- ‘’For transparency, the membership of the panel included representatives of the Medical Guild and six representatives of House Officers.
- ‘’The panel has now concluded its deliberations and submitted its report.’’
No request for blood
The state government said that the late medical doctor was extracted from the elevator an hour after the crash, adding that she was immediately attended to by a medical team led by a highly experienced consultant orthopaedic and trauma surgeon.
- It said, ‘’According to its findings, the incident happened around 6.50 pm. Due to the impact, the elevator doors were damaged and needed to be forced open to rescue the trapped house officer. She was extracted at about 7.50 pm and resuscitation commenced immediately. She was wheeled to the emergency room and was immediately attended to by a medical team led by a highly experienced consultant orthopaedic and trauma surgeon.
- ‘’The team was assisted by all house officers who were present at the time. The initial objectives were to ensure a clear airway, maintain breathing, and establish circulation. The team was also joined by two consultant anaesthetists, including the Medical Director, who intubated the patient. Despite all the efforts, she stopped breathing around 8.13pm and Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) commenced. This went on until 8.59pm when she was pronounced dead.
- ‘’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.
- ‘’It is also important to state that the elevator that crashed was installed brand new 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.”
What you should know
Recall that on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, a medical doctor, Dr. Vwaere Diaso, was reported to have died at the General Hospital, Odan, Lagos Island, after an elevator she took crashed.
The hospital elevator that killed the late Diaso was said to have crashed from the 10th floor to the ground floor.
It was also gathered that the late doctor, who was said to have just 2 weeks to the completion of her horsemanship, was rushed to the emergency ward of the hospital for treatment but eventually died.
Her colleagues at the hospital were reported to have said that the particular elevator had malfunctioned several times before now and they have complained on many occasions about it.
They said that the hospital management was aware of the poor state of the elevator but failed to act.
Meanwhile, the state government had earlier disclosed that the installer of the elevator had been handed over to the police for questioning.
“Hospital management failed to act” on time because it wasn’t affecting them until the bubble burst and a life(one of their very own) was lost because of their No-value for life attitude. This happening at office level oo, imagine these people given the privilege to run Nigeria as a business? You can only imagine less what the outcome will look like. This accident was without any doubt avoidable!