The much awaited report by a panel set up by the Lagos State Government to look into the real cause of the elevator accident that killed Dr Vwaere Diaso at the General Hospital, Odan, Lagos Island last Tuesday is out.
In a statement released on Sunday and signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Strategy, Olumide Sogunle, the accident happened at exactly 6.50pm of that faithful day and the crash damaged the doors completely, thus making it difficult to be opened.
“Following the incident, we immediately set up a panel to look into its likely causes, identify persons who might be culpable, and suggest ways of preventing any future occurrence.
“For transparency, the membership of the panel included representatives of the Medical Guild and six representatives of House Officers. The panel has now concluded its deliberations and submitted its report.
“According to its findings, 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 orthopaedic and trauma surgeon. The team was assisted by all the house officers who were present at the time. The initial objectives were to ensure a clear airway, maintain breathing, and establish circulation”, the statement read.
He added that two consultant anaesthetists joined the team including the Medical Director, who tried to revive the patient but the doctor unfortunately stopped breathing at 8.13 pm.
They tried resuscitation until 8.59 pm when she was pronounced dead.
“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 mobilised at very short notice.
“It is also important to state 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 added.
Notably, General Manager of Lagos State Infrastructure and Asset Management Agency has been suspended. Facility managers have been sacked also.