The Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Benjamin Oluwatosin, has accused the government of paying more attention to the death of late singer, Mohbad than doctors who lost their lives in the line of duty in the state.
Recall that a medical doctor and house office, Vwaere Diaso on the 1st of August, 2023 was trapped in an elevator, which eventually led to her death.
The death of Mohbad on the 12th of September, 2023 has drawn more attention from the government in the state, unlike Vwaere Diaso’s death.
Benjamin in a statement released on Saturday, said the government has shown inattention in approaching matters that involve losses of lives of doctors in the State.
The statement reads, “In saner climes, the government would have instituted a proactive and holistic audit of the entire process that led to her death. Instead, government agencies and institutions have been the clog in discovering and ascertaining what actually transpired – which would have helped prevent a recurrence.
However, there is a conspicuously glaring and shocking difference in the government’s attention, approach, and style of handling the Mohbad incident and cases involving the losses of lives of doctors in Lagos State and, by extension, Nigeria.
“How does one explain the tragic loss of a diligent medical doctor who was hit by a crossfire of untimely death in her workplace? No thanks to systemic failure, malfunctioning laws, and ill-equipped workplaces aptly enabled by the government.
It is disheartening to note that of all the stakeholders invited by the panel, only the Lagos State Safety Commission and the Medical Guild responded. Others who flagrantly ignored the invites include the Medical Director of General Hospital, Odan, Immediate and past Medical Director of General Hospital, Odan, Chairman and Permanent Secretary of Health Service Commission, General Manager of Lagos State Infrastructure Asset Management Agency (LASIAMA), and the facility manager of the building – Sekida Global Concepts Nigeria Limited.
Suppose doctors, in an attempt to provide basic health care, are ignobly killed, and the government keeps paying lip service and sycophantic gesticulations. Where do we go from here? Then, it becomes imperative to ask, “Do doctors’ lives matter, too?”
However, the medical body sympathised with the family of the deceased.
The statement added, “The NMA Lagos Chapter hereby sends its condolences to his family, friends, and global fans. As a responsible institution, we also salute the government’s proactive steps in this particular case.”
