Corruption and Nigeria killed Dr Diaso Vwaere

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Few days ago, Nigerians were greeted with the sad news of the death of a young medical doctor, Dr. Diaso Vwaere while using the elevator of the General Hospital, Odan in Lagos Island. The information is that the elevator dropped uncontrollably from the 10th floor and crashed with the doctor still inside. She was trapped in the elevator for more than 50 minutes until the elevator doors were forced open to rescue the trapped young doctor. At this time, she was already seriously injured, bleeding and pleading not to be allowed to die.

It was reported that the Dr. Diaso required blood urgently but the hospital had no blood in its bank. This means that the necessary first aid and immediate medical attention was not availed her during the critical minutes of the accident happening. Report also had it that several complaints about the elevator had been routinely ignored by the Management of the hospital. As is usual with Nigerian political leaders’ fire-brigade reactionary approach, the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has sacked the Facility Mangers and suspended the General manger of the Lagos State Infrastructure and Assets Management Agency. The real questions are not being asked.

How can a hospital in a ‘State of Excellence’ that acclaims itself to be amongst the top 5 economies in Africa fail to have functional elevators? Is it true that patients that require medicare are forced to take the stairs of the multi-storey building since there is no functional elevator? Would the Lagos State Commissioner for Health feign ignorance of the faulty elevator? What about the NigerianMedical association and the Workers’ Union, did they escalate this fatal error to the appropriate quarters? Were funds allocated for the maintenance of the elevator and if they were, what happened to the funds? Was roper maintenance job done and how often was the elevated checked for performanceand safety?

Did it have to take a young and promising Nigerian to die before the Lagos State Government would take “urgent” measures to address this error in governance that might have been persisting for long? Where is the milk of humanity and care in an institution that professes to be a hospital? Except, there is another definition for the word hospital, then the General Hospital, Odan, Lagos Island is not befitting of one. What is the situation in the other hospitals in Nigeria? Do we need to wait for more accidents before urgent measures are taken to put them in proper conditions? Most of the public hospitals are seen as mere consulting centres that lack basic drugs. Their environments are at times dirty and disorderliness is seen in the way they attend to patients.

If Dr. Diaso had received timely medicare within the critical minutes, she would have survived. Her cry that “I don’t want to die” is a cry that should haunt everyone that is responsible for the incident that led to her untimely death. Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended provides that “The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government”. The Government of Lagos State failed to protect Dr. Diaso. Her death is Nigeria’s loss.

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