A young resident doctor, Oluwafemi Rotifa, has passed away at Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH) in what is being reported as a direct result of his demanding work schedule. The doctor collapsed and died after a continuous 72-hour shift.
The tragedy was confirmed by the president of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Tope Osundara. Dr. Rotifa was discovered on the floor of the call room, a space intended for rest.
According to Osundara, while the doctor was also being treated for malaria, the primary cause of his death was the severe physical strain from overwork.
“Unfortunately, the workload was strenuous, and they had to regularly go over 24-hour shifts. He had reviewed a patient, and afterwards, he went to the call room to rest,” he said.
“Ideally, no one should be on call for even 24 hours. We later discovered he was treating malaria, but adults in Nigeria don’t die of malaria. Malaria is endemic in Nigeria. He had malaria but still had to go and treat a patient.”
“The overuse of manpower strained his health and led to this painful death. His death was due to overworking.”
Osundara strongly condemned the excessive workloads imposed on doctors in Nigerian hospitals, highlighting that medical professionals are frequently forced to work shifts that exceed 24 hours.
“The burnout and workload among medical doctors is becoming very worrisome. The overuse of manpower strained his health and led to this painful death. His death was due to overworking,”he said.
“We have cried out and complained repeatedly. What happened is that the resident doctor was on call in the emergency room.”
He emphasized that the unfortunate death was a consequence of the hospital’s over-reliance on a limited number of staff.
The NARD president called on the government to take immediate action to address the significant shortage of medical staff, improve the welfare of doctors, and implement more humane and sustainable work schedules.
The incident underscores the critical and often dangerous working conditions faced by medical professionals throughout Nigeria.
