By Williams Amofokhai
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Lagos State Chapter has ordered its members in three general hospitals on Lagos Island to embark on indefinite strike.
This is due to the tragic death of one of their members, Dr Vwaere Diaso, a medical house officer, as a result of faulty elevator at the Lagos Island General Hospital.
The association in a statement signed by its state Chairman, Dr Benjamin Olowojebutu, and Secretary, Ismail Ajibowo, on Wednesday, lamented the death of their colleague.
The body said it received with rude shock the death of Diaso, which occurred as a result of injuries sustained when the elevator she was in crashed.
“This is heartbreaking, heart-wrenching, and quite unfortunate. We commiserate with her immediate family, her colleagues on the Island, the Medical Guild, and all body of doctors in Lagos State,” it lamented.
According to the NMA, the information they got was that she was trapped in the elevator for more than 40 minutes before she was rescued.
The association added that it reliably informed that there was no blood available for resuscitation, “and this has become a recurring issue as a result of the review made by the government on the previous policy on blood donation.
“To us, this was an avoidable death and it’s unfortunate that it was allowed to happen. We are pained and we are mourning. We are well aware that this same elevator has been a source of problem for many years during which several complaints have been made to all relevant agencies with no respite, the statement read in part.”
NMA added: “We declare a five-day statewide mourning period; we demand an immediate, unbiased investigation into the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate incident; all those found culpable in this matter, especially the General Manager of the Lagos State Infrastructure Management Agency, Ms Adenike Adekambi, are all brought to justice.
“We direct all our doctors in the three government hospitals on the Island (GH Lagos, LIMH, and MSCH) to commence indefinite strike action until the investigations are completed and justice served; we immediately direct our doctors in all the other government hospitals to scale down activities as a mark of respect for our dead colleague. Only emergency services should be rendered for the next five days.”
NMA charged the government as a matter of urgency to begin the complete overhaul of the house officers’ quarters on the island.
It further urged that all other infrastructures in all government hospitals that needed repairs should be urgently attended to, saying that the blood transfusion system in Lagos State needed immediate revamping for improved services.
