Lagos Hospital's Elevator Still Not Working Three Years After Doctor's Tragedy

Three years after Dr Vwaere Diaso died in an elevator accident at the General Hospital, Odan, Lagos Island, the elevator is still not working. Rehabilitation work on the building is ongoing.

PREMIUM TIMES visited the hospital on Wednesday. Construction work is still happening at the 10-storey House Officers’ Residence, where the accident occurred in August 2023.

The elevator has been repaired, but the doctors living in the building cannot use it. This is because the building's rehabilitation is still in progress.

Concerns about the elevator's status and the facility's condition are being shared on social media. For example, an X user, @themmanuelfaith, recently asked if the elevator that killed the doctor had been fixed. This post gathered over 27,000 views.

The rehabilitation of the building was supposed to be finished by January 2025.

Missed deadline

PREMIUM TIMES’ 2024 investigation into Lagos’ oldest hospital found that Julius Berger is managing the rehabilitation of the House Officers’ Residence. This project was expected to take 36 weeks, from April 2024 to January 2025.

During the latest visit by the newspaper, the timeline for completion was not displayed anymore. But the contractor and project details were still there.

Charles Aisudo, Secretary of the Medical Guild in Lagos, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that the elevator is fixed but not yet operational. He said it will not be in use until all floors are renovated.

Mr Aisudo explained that the rehabilitation is happening in phases.

A house officer, who wished to remain anonymous, said the 10th, ninth, eighth, and seventh floors were done by February 2026. Work then moved to the sixth, fifth, and fourth floors.

The source mentioned that construction slowed down at one point due to water leaking through the ceilings. This made the affected areas damp. However, construction resumed after the Medical Guild contacted the Lagos State government about the project.

The residence can accommodate about 100 doctors working at General Hospital, Lagos, Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, and Massey Street Children’s Hospital, according to the source.

“Doctors are key to the hospitals’ frontline workforce,” the source said. They added that the building's condition has made it hard to accommodate more doctors.

Government’s update

On 3 August, the Lagos State government also provided an update on the rehabilitation. The state’s Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, said new elevators have been installed, but they will only be used after civil work is done.

Mr Abayomi mentioned that the 10-storey building is being renovated in phases because doctors in the area still use the residence. The government said these efforts are part of improving the facility three years after the doctor’s death.

“Three years after the tragic loss of Dr Vwaere Diaso, Lagos State is committed to making sure such a tragedy never happens again. We truly value the lives of our medical professionals and every Lagosian,” the commissioner was quoted as saying.

Mr Abayomi also confirmed that the lift installation phase is complete. He added that the state is now following stricter safety standards for lift operations and management.

Three years later

Dr Diaso died on 1 August 2023 when the elevator at the House Officers’ Residence crashed while she was inside. This incident led to public outrage and prompted investigations by the Lagos State government.

In a 2024 investigation, PREMIUM TIMES highlighted the poor state of the hospital’s infrastructure. This included old buildings, lack of proper equipment, and other issues affecting healthcare.

The investigation also looked at the doctors’ residence and its ongoing rehabilitation three years later. This report caused reactions on social media, including from Lagos governorship candidate Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour. He called the findings a “damning indictment” of the state’s healthcare management. In an X post, Mr Rhodes-Vivour highlighted the lack of functional surgical theatres and other issues raised in the report.

Ongoing development

The house officer said the situation at the hospital is tough for doctors living on the upper floors. They have to use the stairs. But they said, “we understand the situation and have adapted while waiting for the rehabilitation to be completed.”

“If you are going downstairs, you have to sort out everything you need to do downstairs before going back upstairs,” the source said.

Despite the challenges, the house officer said work is ongoing to improve the hospital’s infrastructure and services. The source mentioned that construction is currently happening on several wards, and the surgical department is preparing for laparoscopic surgery. This procedure has not been available at the hospital.