Five months after an elevator accident claimed the life of House Officer Dr. Vwaere Diaso at General Hospital, Odan Lagos, the equipment remains unreplaced, causing concern among hospital staff. A colleague of the deceased, who visited the scene of the accident in August 2023, disclosed that the hospital management was aware of the elevator’s poor condition, citing instances where it had stopped multiple times with people inside and lacked proper maintenance.
Investigations from a panel established by the state government shed light on the tragedy, revealing that Dr. Diaso did not die immediately after the crash. Instead, he was trapped in the damaged elevator for an hour before being extricated and receiving medical care.
In response to the incident, the government took actions against those responsible. Facility managers were dismissed and blacklisted, and the General Manager of Lagos State Infrastructure and Asset Management Agency, Adenike Adekanbi, was suspended.
Despite these measures, the elevator has not been replaced, raising concerns about the safety of hospital staff and patients who rely on the facility for their daily operations. The delay in addressing this critical issue has prompted calls for urgent intervention to ensure the safety of everyone using the hospital’s infrastructure.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in an Instagram post shortly after the doctor’s burial, acknowledged the hospital staff’s needs and assured that action was being taken. However, the continued absence of a functioning elevator raises questions about the effectiveness of the measures promised by the government.
