By TRAGEDY struck at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH) when Dr Oluwafemi Rotifa, a young resident doctor, collapsed and died after reportedly being on duty for 72 consecutive hours.
Rotifa was discovered unconscious in the hospital’s call room on Monday.
Despite swift efforts to revive him in the Intensive Care Unit, he could not be saved.
Confirming the incident, Tope Osundara, President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), condemned the excessive workload endured by medical personnel across the country.
“No one should be on call for even 24 hours, yet some doctors spend weeks on call.
The overuse of manpower strained his health and led to this painful death,” Osundara stated.
The association has called on government authorities to urgently address the chronic shortage of medical staff, improve welfare conditions, and enforce humane work schedules to prevent similar tragedies.
Rotifa’s sudden death has sparked renewed concerns about the welfare of doctors in Nigeria’s overstretched healthcare system.
What's your reaction?
