The Government of Lagos state under the leadership of Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu has suspended the GM of Lagos State Infrastructure and Asset Management Agency (LASIAMA) and have handed over the installation and maintenance contractors to the police.
In a statement issued by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information,Mr Olumide Sogunle yesterday, he revealed the course of action that state has taken since the unfortunate incident of Tuesday 1st August 2023 occurred.
The incident involving a faulty elevator which occurred at the House Officer’s residence of the General Hospital, Odan resulted in the death of Dr Vwaere Diaso, a vibrant young house officer.
The state government revealed that a panel which was setup to look into it’s likely causes, identify persons who might be culpable, and suggest ways of preventing any future occurrence comprising representatives of the Medical Guild and six representatives of House Officers has submitted its final report.
According to the findings of the panel, 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 orthopedic 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 anesthetists, 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,” the panel narrated.
They also noted 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 mobilized at very short notice.”
The state government also insisted 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,” The statement read.
Meanwhile the State government added that Engineers are working to unravel why all the safety devices of the elevator failed at the same time and the Lagos Safety Commission has been directed to immediately carry out an audit of all elevators in public offices.
