School Building Collapse: Injured Pupils in Stable Condition, Says Doctor

Some of the injured pupils in the building collapse at Ita-faji, Lagos Island, on Wednesday are in stable condition and still receiving adequate medical attention in some hospitals in Lagos.

A visit by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Correspondent to the General Hospitals in Marina and Gbagada in Lagos, on Thursday  showed that some of the patients had been stabilised, while others were still being attended to.

Names of the patients in stable condition had been pasted at the General Hospital on Wednesday for easy identification of the victims by their relatives.

Relations of some the victims expressed gratitude to God for the survival of their children, thanking the medical team for their care.

They told NAN on condition of anonymity that their loved ones had been stabilised and were receiving the needed treatment.

Dr Ismail Ganikale, the Medical Director, General Hospital, Lagos, told NAN that no new victims of the school building collapse were brought to the hospital.

“No new casualty has been brought in and we are doing the best we can to mop up,” Ganikale told NAN.

He said that the management had rallied the medical team and were doing some mop up in order to get the actual number of casualties.

Also, Dr Saliu Oseni, the Chairman, Lagos Chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), said that the association had been going round the hospitals to monitor the treatment of the victims.

“So far from what we gathered, the last set of patients that were brought to the Lagos General Hospital came in last night and we have yet to receive new patients as at this morning.

“Most of the patients came in through General Hospital and Massey Children Hospital from where they were referred to other hospitals, including Lagos State University Teaching Hospital; Mainland General Hospital and General Hospital, Yaba.

“We are aware that there is a patient at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital LUTH), Idi-Araba.

“We have about six patients in Gbagada General Hospital; the actual statistics will not be clear until everything is okay.

“We have quite a number of casualties, but we cannot ascertain the number.

The chairman said that doctors were on ground and managing the situation.

He said that there was an issue of need for blood during the emergency rush on Wednesday,  but had been tackled.

Oseni, who expressed appreciation for the efforts made by the state government on emergency care, said more could still be done to make it more functional.

“We can still make our emergency unit, trauma unit to be more functional, especially at Gbagada Hospital and toll gate; so that we have adequate attention to victims of this type of incidence.

“Then, we also want to appeal to the government to ensure that all these patients are tracked and their bills are sorted out so that none of them is disadvantaged with the fact that they do not have fund to take care of them.

“I am sure machineries are being put in place to ensure that is done; hopefully at the end of the day we will be able to save those that are alive. (NAN)