By Joy Yesufu
A young resident doctor at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Oluwafemi Rotifa, has died after reportedly working a gruelling 72-hour non-stop shift at the hospital’s emergency unit.
Rotifa, fondly known as Femoski among colleagues, collapsed in the doctors’ call room shortly after his marathon duty.
He was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit, but efforts to resuscitate him failed.
The incident, which has provoked widespread outrage within the medical community, has been described as a direct consequence of Nigeria’s overstretched and underfunded health system.
Confirming the death, the President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Tope Osundara, said Rotifa’s death was “preventable.”
“He was the only doctor on duty in the emergency room and had been on call for 72 hours. The overuse of manpower and exhaustion killed him. This was a death on duty,” Osundara said.
He accused government authorities of neglecting healthcare workers despite repeated warnings about burnout, adding that “more young doctors will die in similar circumstances unless urgent reforms are made.”
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) also described the incident as “heartbreaking and unacceptable.”
Its Vice President, Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu, said the tragedy underscored the need for an immediate overhaul of welfare systems for doctors, including regulated working hours.
“It is extremely frustrating that doctors are dying in the prime of their lives due to excessive workload.
“We must prioritise health insurance, salaries, allowances, and humane working conditions for all doctors,” Olowojebutu stated.
Rotifa, a former President of the Port Harcourt University Medical Students’ Association, had recently secured registration with the UK General Medical Council and was awaiting relocation for placement abroad.
Nigeria’s doctor-to-patient ratio remains among the worst globally, with one doctor attending to 10,000 patients, far above the World Health Organisation’s recommended 1 to 600.
Tributes have poured in on social media, where colleagues and friends remembered Rotifa as a dedicated and passionate doctor whose life was cut short by the very system he served.
In September 2023, a young doctor, identified as Dr. Umoh Michael, died on Sunday after allegedly working 72 hours non-stop.
Michael was said to have under similar circumstances on September 17, 2023.
He was said to have worked a 72-hour non-stop shift at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, where he was a resident doctor.
He died during a church service at the United Evangelical Church .
He was said to have worked a 72-hour non-stop shift at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, where he was a resident doctor.
