Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Dr. Vwaere Diaso who died in a car that moves in a vertical shaft- an elevator
Sequel to the preliminary findings by the committee constituted by the Lagos state government to unravel the remote and immediate causes of the malfunction of the elevator at the residence of House Officers, which led to the death of Dr. Vwaere Diaso, a vibrant young house officer; the state government has truly lived up to its vow of generating a preliminary report by Saturday, 5th August 2023.
The committee did submit the report as mandated by the state government. Consequent to the Kernel of the findings, the Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu-led administration has taken the following decisions in the interim;
** Government has Sacked and blacklisted the Facility Managers
** The General Manager, GM, of Lagos State Infrastructure and Asset Management Agency, LASIAMA, has been directed to immediately proceed on suspension
** The operations and line of reporting of the facility managers have been restructured to involve the hospital management directly
** Lagos state government has handed the installation and maintenance contractors to the police for further investigation and likely prosecution if they are found culpable.
** The government has also granted the police unfettered access to investigate anyone else that might have been found to be negligent in the matter.
** The government announced that its Engineers are working to unravel why all the safety devices of the elevator failed at the same time
** Government also reiterated that all the workforce in the state’s public service are fully insured hence, the government has transmitted the incident to its life insurance providers for necessary indemnity.
** Moreover, the government has directed the “Lagos Safety Commission to immediately carry out a comprehensive forensic audit of all elevators in public offices. This is besides the usual safety arrangements that have always been in existence.
Dr. VWAERE DIASO’S SAD DEMISE: EXTRICATING FACT FROM FALLACY
According to the findings by the committee, the incident happened on Tuesday, 1st August 2023, at about 6.50 pm.
The committee revealed that 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 orthopedic and trauma surgeon. The team was assisted by all the house officers who were present at the time.
According to the committee’s findings, the initial objectives were to ensure a clear airway, maintain breathing, and establish circulation. The team was also joined by two consultant anesthetists, including the Medical Director, who intubated the patient.
The committee established that, despite all these efforts, Dr. Diaso stopped breathing at about 8.13 pm and Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) commenced. This went on until 8.59 pm when she was pronounced dead.
On the issue making the rounds in social media, on none availability of blood at the time of the incident, the committee unearthed the fact that the blood samples for cross-matching had not been taken and there had not been a request for blood at the time CPR commenced.
The committee report ascertained as very far from the truth, the rumor mill which circulated the lie that blood was not available.
An investigation by the committee revealed that “the State has a strong network of screening centers where blood is available. Besides, there is a register of voluntary donors who can be mobilized at very short notice,” the committee established.
Another crucial revelation from the Inquisition also established for a fact that the elevator that crashed was installed as brand new mechanical equipment in 2021.
Moreover, it was also established that Elevator experts working with the Lagos Safety Commission, LASCOM, had carried out an initial inspection of the elevator.
Yet, the committee further recommended the removal of the elevator for further mechanical examination to determine why the safety features that should prevent this kind of accident did not work.
The objective of this approach according to the committee is, to obtain independent, inviolable, and sacrosanct findings which could provide inalienable evidence to determine if the government could establish a prima facie case with the elevator installer.
Earlier as the news became trending in the media, Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, made a public demand that the Lagos state government and the state police command should carry out a diligent inquisition into the tragic death of Dr Vwaere Diaso, an indigene of Delta state.
Diaso hailed from Ewu Kingdom in Ughelli South local government area of Delta state. She died at the General Hospital, Lagos Island when the elevator she used crashed from the 10th floor to the ground floor.
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