6th August, 2023
The Lagos State Government has released its report on investigation into the circumstances leading to the death of a medical house officer, Dr. Vwaere Diaso in a crashed lift at the General Hospital Odan, Lagos Island.
The government immediately suspended the General Manager, Lagos State Infrastructure and Asset Management Agency (LASIAMA), Ms Adenike Adekanbi, whose agency is in charge of the facility.
The government also sacked and blacklisted the Facility Managers of the House Officers’ quarters, under the supervision of LASIAMA.
Olumide Sogunle, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Strategy, in a statement on Sunday, said based on initial findings, the Lagos State Government has sacked and blacklisted the Facility Managers
◦’The GM of Lagos State Infrastructure and Asset Management Agency is to immediately proceed on suspension. The operations and line of reporting of the facility managers have been restructured to involve the hospital management directly
“We have handed the installation and maintenance contractors to the police for further investigation and likely prosecution if they are found culpable. The police will also investigate anyone else that might have been found to be negligent,” he said.
Sogunle added that engineers were working to unravel why all the safety devices of the elevator failed at the same time, saying that all staff are fully insured, as government has informed our life insurance providers about this incident.
He stated that the Lagos Safety Commission has been directed to immediately carry out an audit of all elevators in public offices, as this is besides the usual safety arrangements that had always existed.
Earlier, Sogunle said the government, in recognition of the importance of providing functional and comfortable accommodation for health workers, outsourced the management of the House Officers Quarters to a facility management company.
“The Lagos State Infrastructure and Asset Management Agency (LASIAMA) oversees the activities of the facility management company.
“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,” he said.
Sogunle also said that the elevator that crashed was installed brand new in 2021.