How corruption in Lagos State public hospital caused death of medical doctor

How corruption in Lagos State public hospital caused death of medical doctor

Dr Diaso

More details have emerged on how a young medical doctor, Dr. Vwaire Diaso,  lost her life in an elevator that crashed from the 10th floor to ground xero at the state-owned General Hospital, Odan, Lagos Island.

The graduate of Babcock University was said to have only two weeks to complete her housemanship at the General Hospital when she died in an elevator crash. Eye-witness account said she did not die immediately but was bleeding profusely as she was rushed into the Emergency Room where she gave up the ghost.

Political Economist NG reports that Dr Diaso reportedly died due to negligence and corruption going by accounts of some medical staff at the hospital.

The tragic incident occurred on Monday, August 1, 2023 when the doctor had made to collect her food which she ordered online after the dispatch rider had called to announce his presence on the ground floor.

Hospital insiders who refused to be identified told our reporter that the elevator had been problematic and that on several occasion but money had been approved for its repair, a job that was either not done or was shabbily done.

“To me, this is a case of negligence and corruption because everybody here knows that money has been approved for this elevator on several occasions but it remains problematic. Some of us have decided to avoid using it and now this happened,” a nurse told our reporter.

Meantime, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu  has ordered  immediate investigation into the tragic death  even as members of the medical association have ordered indefinite strike in the state  over her death.

Resident doctors who spoke to Political Economist NG said that they had been complaining about this malfunctioning elevator for the past year without luck.

Some called it a case of willful negligence because “everybody here is aware that the elevator has technical challenges.”

Before Dr. Diaso joined the General Hospital as a student doctor, it was said by the resident doctors and staff of the hospital that the only elevator at the hospital had been in bad shape since 2018.

The hospital was also said to be without running water. But all the complaints of the doctors were said to have been ignored.

An account said the elevator was so bad such that it stopped without command at intervals, and you had to manually use your hand to close it in order for it to begin functioning again.