Doctor’s death: Lagos Assembly summons hospital CMD, others

IBRAHIM QUADRI

Lagos State House of Assembly has set up an eight-man Ad-Hoc committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of a medical doctor, Vwaere Diaso, at General Hospital, Odan, Lagos Island.

The House therefore summoned the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, the Chief Medical Director of Odan Hospital, those in charge of the faulty elevator and members of the NMA.
Moving the motion to this effect, Hon. Olarenwaju Afinni representing Lagos Island Constituency 2 Under Matters of Urgent Public Importance during Thursday’s plenary stressed that the medical doctor died at the General Hospital, Odan, Lagos Island when the elevator she used crashed from the 9th floor to the ground floor.

Reacting to the incident, Speaker of the House, Rt Hon Mudashiru Obasa, who sympathised with both the parents and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) said there was an urgent need to set up a committee to unravel the cause of the death.

According to Obasa, it was saddening to lose such a “young promising daughter but there is no explanation we can give to the parents and his colleagues.”

The Speaker also appealed to members of the NMA to resume duty, saying that the government would look into their demands.

In his contribution, Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu representing Eti-Osa 2, who also sympathised with the family, said the NMA had the right to express its grievances over the death of its colleague but appealed to the body to call off the indefinite strike in order to avert more deaths.

“This incident saddens my heart and we sympathise with the family and NMA. We have seen their demands and we are appealing that they should resume work to prevent patients from dying”, he said.
Other lawmakers who contributed supported the setting up of an Ad-Hoc committee to probe the matter.

The 8-man committee would be chaired by the Deputy Speaker, Mojisola Meranda. Other members include Hon. David Setonji, Hon. Lara Oyekan, Hon. Olayinka Ajomale, Hon. Shabi Adekola, Omolara Olumegbon, Hon. Oluwa Akanbi and Hon. Olarenwaju Afinni.

The committee has two weeks to report back to the House.