Doctor’s death after 72-hour shift sparks outrage in Nigeria

The death of Oluwafemi Rotifa, a resident doctor at Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), after collapsing during a gruelling 72-hour shift has ignited widespread outrage and renewed calls for urgent reform in Nigeria’s crumbling healthcare system.

Rotifa, a former president of the Port Harcourt University Medical Students’ Association and a UK-licensed physician, died while serving as the sole doctor in the hospital’s Emergency Room, highlighting the dire consequences of chronic understaffing and inhumane working conditions.

The Public Health Sustainable Advocacy Initiative (PHSAI) has labelled Rotifa’s death a national wake-up call, pointing to systemic failures that have left Nigeria’s health sector on the brink of collapse.

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With a doctor-to-patient ratio of 1:10,000, far worse than the World Health Organisation’s recommended 1:600, doctors are overworked, underpaid, and increasingly pushed to breaking point. The mass emigration of medical professionals has only worsened the crisis, leaving those who remain to shoulder unbearable workloads.

Ayo Adebusoye, PHSAI chairman, told BusinessDay that this is not an isolated tragedy, adding that Rotifa’s death is a symptom of a healthcare system that sacrifices its doctors through neglect.

“The government must act now to prevent further loss of life,” Adebusoye added.

Tope Osundara, president of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), described the incident as a death on duty, attributing it to the overuse of manpower that strained Rotifa’s health.

Benjamin Olowojebutu, vice president of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), added, “The workload on our doctors is enormous. This is heartbreaking and unacceptable.”

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Rotifa’s death is the latest in a string of preventable tragedies. In 2022, Ahmed Isaiah collapsed during surgery in Nasarawa State. In 2023, Diaso died in a faulty elevator at Lagos Island General Hospital, and Okeoghene Edigba succumbed after performing four consecutive surgeries at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. These incidents have fueled public anger and underscored the urgent need for systemic change.

PHSAI is demanding immediate action, including an emergency recruitment drive, better salaries, housing, and hazard allowances, as well as enforceable limits on working hours and mandatory rest periods. The group also called for investments in hospital infrastructure, improved health insurance for healthcare workers, and support for the families of deceased doctors, including Dr. Rotifa’s.

As Nigeria grapples with this growing crisis, the loss of Rotifa has become a rallying cry for reform. “We cannot continue to lose our best and brightest to a broken system. The time for action is now as every delay costs lives,” Adebusoye said.