Doctor’s death in Lagos spotlights city’s emergency response problems

The doctors’ main union in Lagos has directed its members in three government hospitals to stop work after a student physician died on Tuesday in an elevator accident.

The Nigerian Medical Association, Lagos branch, said Diaso Vwaere, a house officer at the General Hospital, Odan, Lagos, died after the lift collapsed from the 10th floor of the hospital building and she received no quick attention.

Vwaere reportedly died two weeks before the completion of her housemanship.

NMA directed the doctors at the General Hospital, Odan; Lagos Island Maternity Hospital and Massey Street Children’s Hospital to embark on the strike until investigations into the cause of the death were completed and justice served.

The doctors will only provide emergency services, according to a statement by the state NMA chairman and secretary, Benjamin Olowojebutu and Ajibowo Ismail.

– No blood

The union said after the accident, the doctor was trapped in the elevator for more than 40 minutes before being evacuated. Still, she could not receive swift medical attention because of lack of blood.

“We were also 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,” the NMA said.

“To us, this was an avoidable death and it’s unfortunate that it was allowed to happen. We are pained and we are mourning.”

The NMA said there had been several complaints about the elevator for years but nothing was done.

“It is very painful that at a time when the country is battling with unprecedented brain drain, a young colleague that would have been expected to attend to 6,000 Nigerians was allowed to die a needless death,” the association said.

The Lagos government said it has set up a team to investigate the incident.

The group wants an urgent repair the infrastructure of all government hospitals that need attention, and a revamp the blood transfusion system in the state.

– Emergency Problems

Lagos, Africa’s most populous city, has notable emergency response problem that ranges from slow response time, lack of ambulances to shortage of blood needed to revive victims.

There are also problems of insufficient investment and funding, manpower, communication, insufficient public awareness.

Last December, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said it planned to acquire more sophisticated equipment to improve and reduce response time to emergencies in the state.