Young RSUTH Doctor Dies After Gruelling 72-Hour Shift, Sparks Nationwide Outrage

Nigeria mourns the tragic loss of Dr. Oluwafemi Femi Rotifa, a promising young resident doctor at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), who collapsed and died after an exhausting 72-hour continuous on-call duty. Dr. Rotifa, affectionately known as “Femoski” among colleagues, was found lifeless in the call room after tirelessly attending patients alone in the Emergency Room.

According to eyewitnesses and confirmed by the President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Tope Osundara, Dr. Rotifa had worked three non-stop days due to severe staff shortages before retreating briefly to rest. It was there that he slumped and despite urgent efforts to resuscitate him in the Intensive Care Unit, he was pronounced dead.

Dr. Osundara lamented the tragedy as a death on duty caused by the overwhelming strain and overuse of limited manpower in Nigerian hospitals. “He was the only doctor attending to patients in the Emergency Room, and the burnout among resident doctors in our hospitals is alarming,” Osundara remarked. He urged the government to urgently address the dire doctor-patient ratio and improve working conditions to prevent further loss of lives among medical professionals.

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Dr. Rotifa was a former President of the Port Harcourt University Medical Students’ Association (PUMSA) and was registered with the United Kingdom’s General Medical Council, awaiting placement abroad. His death has sent shockwaves throughout the medical community both locally and internationally, sparking outpourings of grief and calls for systemic reform.

Colleagues and friends have taken to social media to commemorate Dr. Rotifa’s dedication, brilliance, and selflessness. Many expressed their outrage at the conditions that led to this heartbreaking loss and called for immediate action to protect healthcare workers who are the backbone of Nigeria’s fragile health system.

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has also condemned the incident, emphasizing the urgent need for better welfare, remuneration, and health insurance for doctors. The NMA Vice President, Benjamin Olowojebutu, described the loss as unacceptable and urged for reforms that would ensure no doctor dies in the line of duty due to preventable exhaustion.

Dr. Rotifa’s untimely death serves as a grim reminder of the collapsing state of Nigeria’s healthcare sector, where inadequate staffing and excessive workloads continue to place immense pressure on medical workers. The incident calls for immediate national attention and action to overhaul Nigeria’s health system and protect its healthcare providers.