NMA makes fresh demand doctor killed in faulty elevator
The Nigerian Medical Association, Lagos State branch, has called on the state government to immortalise their colleague, Dr Vwaere Diaso, who died in a faulty elevator at work in August last year.
The Lagos NMA Chairman, Dr Babajide Saheed, made the call on Monday during a press conference on the association’s Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference holding between July 28 and August 3.
Saheed said the conference with the theme “Healthcare Delivery in Nigeria Amidst Multifaceted Challenges,” served to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Diaso’s tragic death in afaulty elevator at the Lagos Island General Hospital on August 1, 2023.
He said, “In her honour, we call upon the Lagos State government to immortalise her by naming the doctors’ quarters at the General Hospital as the ‘Dr Vwaere Diaso Doctors Quarters’.”
The NMA chairman also appealed to the state government to expedite the renovation of the house officers’ quarters and ensure the immediate installation of a functional elevator to alleviate the physical and emotional stress currently faced by the house officers.
“Ideally, the government should consider relocating the house officers during the renovation to ensure their safety and well-being,” he said.
The NMA also called on the state government to immediately implement the reviewed Consolidated Medical Salary Structure for doctors.
Saheed said the Lagos State’s healthcare sector was currently grappling with severe human resource challenges, particularly affecting its members employed by the state government.
According to him, the shortage of medical and dental practitioners has reached a critical point, exacerbating the workload and leading to extreme burnout among its members.
“In light of this, the Nigerian Medical Association, Lagos State branch, urgently demands the immediate implementation of the reviewed CONMESS for our members employed by the Lagos state government.
“This is essential to bridging the existing salary gap and ensuring equitable remuneration.
“Additionally, we call for the prompt commencement of arrangements for implementing the new minimum wage to prevent further disparities when the new salary structure is adopted,” he said.
Speaking on the AGM and Scientific Conference, Saheed said the event, holding from July 28 to August 3, had the theme: “Healthcare Delivery in Nigeria Amidst Multifaceted Challenges”.
According to him, the theme aptly captures the myriad of obstacles confronting the healthcare sector in Nigeria.
He emphasised that the challenges were multifaceted, encompassing a wide array of systemic inadequacies such as the acute shortage of human resources, substandard infrastructural development, pervasive poverty, cultural and religious barriers, and ill-informed healthcare policies.
Saheed added that interprofessional rivalry among healthcare workers, inadequate healthcare financing, and poor budgetary allocations had significantly hindered the progressive development of the healthcare sector, particularly in Lagos State.
Speaking on the state of the nation’s economy, Saheed urged the Federal Government to reassess and reformulate its economic policies.
He added that it was imperative to alleviate the severe hardships faced by the citizens to prevent potential nationwide unrest and improve the quality of life for all Nigerians.
