Civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), yesterday, sympathised with the family of the late Dr Vwaere Diaso, who lost her life in an avoidable elevator tragedy at General Hospital, Odan, Lagos, on Tuesday.
The group, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, also condoled the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) over the doctor’s death and asked that Lagos State government to pay N10 billion compensation to the deceased’s family, alleging negligence of the management of the hospital that is owned and managed by the state government.
Diaso reportedly died on Tuesday at the General Hospital, Odan, Lagos, after she was trapped in a faulty elevator for more than 40 minutes before she was rescued. But there was no matching and safe donor blood available in the hospital’s blood bank to save her.
After her unfortunate death, the NMA declared a five-day mourning period in the state and asked doctors in the other government-owned hospitals to scale down activities as a mark of respect for the dead colleague.
The group said: “The untimely and painful death of Dr Vwaere Diaso is totally avoidable and heart-wrenching. Our sympathies go to her family and colleagues. May the good Lord comfort them over the irreplaceable loss.
“Having said that, the Lagos State government must be held accountable for its complicit negligence in the young doctor’s death. Beyond setting up empty inquiry panels to probe the already known cause of the young lady’s death, the state government must offer a public apology to the late doctor’s family for failing her by not fixing the elevator in one of its hospitals.
“Also, the national body of the NMA should take similar stand or stage peaceful protests to demonstrate against criminal negligence in the publicly owned hospitals and the hazards faced by doctors. The NMA should demand N10 billion compensation, from Lagos State government, for the family of the doctor killed due to poor maintenance of a public facility in a general hospital.
“If within 48 hours the Lagos State government has not paid the compensation, then NMA, the family of the girl and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) should sue the state government and demand damages to the family. Nigeria should stop killing its brightest.”
