Tragedy has struck the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital as Dr. Oluwafemi Rotifa, a dedicated resident physician, lost his life after reportedly enduring an exhausting 72-hour shift in the hospital’s emergency department.
The distressing incident has caused widespread concern in the medical community. Dr. Rotifa, affectionately called “Femoski” by friends and colleagues, had just withdrawn to the call room for some rest after three intense days on duty when he suddenly collapsed.
He was immediately transferred to the Intensive Care Unit, but despite resuscitation efforts, he could not be revived.
According to Vanguard, Dr. Rotifa was a former President of the Port Harcourt University Medical Students’ Association and had only recently received registration from the UK General Medical Council as he prepared to relocate for work opportunities abroad.
Dr. Tope Osundara, President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, confirmed the incident on Tuesday, labelling the young doctor’s passing as a “preventable tragedy” that highlights the severe workforce shortages and relentless pressure facing medical staff.
“He was alone during his 72-hour emergency room shift. Exhaustion and the relentless workload were the cause. This is the tragic result of dying while serving,” Osundara stated.
He held the government responsible for ignoring the repeated warnings about healthcare professionals’ welfare and cautioned that unless urgent action and reform take hold, more preventable losses among young doctors will continue.
“Time and again we have sounded the alarm about the dangerous levels of burnout in our hospitals. With drastically reduced teams, those who remain are stretched thin, overwhelmed, and insufficiently compensated,” he continued.
Osundara also called on the Federal Government to promptly support Dr. Rotifa’s grieving family and to establish guidelines that limit excessive working hours for doctors.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) similarly expressed deep sorrow at the news, condemning the situation as both “heartbreaking and unacceptable.”
NMA Vice President, Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu, criticized the immense pressure on Nigeria’s few practicing doctors, calling for a drastic overhaul of the welfare policies that govern health sector workers.
“It’s intolerable to lose doctors in their prime to overwhelming job demands. We must focus on implementing comprehensive health insurance, fair pay, proper allowances, and strict regulation of doctor work hours,” Olowojebutu urged.
While the World Health Organisation sets the ideal doctor-to-patient ratio at 1 to 600, Nigerian Medical Association data reveals the nation’s ratio is a startling 1 doctor per 10,000 patients.
Following Dr. Rotifa’s untimely death, heartfelt tributes have flooded social media, with many describing him as a dedicated professional whose promising future was tragically ended by the system he sought to improve.
