RSUTH Doctor Slumps And Dies After ‘72-Hour Shift’ In Rivers

A young resident doctor at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), Oluwafemi Rotifa, has died after reportedly working an exhausting 72-hour shift.

Oluwafemi Rotifa, popularly known as “Femoski” among colleagues, was a former president of the Port Harcourt University Medical Students’ Association (PUMSA).

He was also registered with the UK’s General Medical Council and was awaiting placement abroad.

Witnesses said the doctor had been on continuous call duty for three days in the Emergency Room before he went to rest in the call room, where he collapsed.

Efforts to revive him in the Intensive Care Unit were unsuccessful.

Dr. Tope Osundara, President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), confirmed the incident and described it as both preventable and a reflection of the deep problems in Nigeria’s health system.

“What happened is that he was on call in the Emergency Room. Afterward, he went to the call room to rest, and it was there that he died. Unfortunately, he was the only one attending to the patients.

“The overuse of manpower strained his health and led to this painful death. It was a death on duty,” Osundara lamented.

He stressed that resident doctors are carrying most of the burden in teaching hospitals and are being stretched to breaking point.

“The burnout among medical doctors, especially resident doctors who are manning most of the teaching hospitals, is becoming very worrisome.

“We have cried out repeatedly. The few doctors left in this country are overworked, underpaid and poorly motivated.

“Government must look into remuneration and ensure immediate replacement of doctors who resign or emigrate. Otherwise, this cycle of needless deaths will continue,” he added.

Osundara said Nigeria’s health sector has been severely affected by brain drain, with thousands of doctors relocating abroad in recent years.

According to him, those who remain are left to handle overwhelming workloads, often covering multiple shifts without rest.

He also warned that the consequences go beyond the doctors saying “We are not asking for these reforms just for our own welfare, but for the patients. When a doctor is mentally, physically and emotionally broken, he cannot render quality care.

“Patients end up spending unnecessary hours in hospitals, waiting for one doctor to attend to thousands. It is the patients who ultimately suffer the most,” he said.

News of Rotifa’s death has sparked an outpouring of grief on social media, with friends and colleagues describing him as a hardworking, selfless, and passionate doctor who gave his all to his patients.

Many young doctors expressed anger, calling his death a shameful outcome of neglect in the health system.

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) also condemned the incident, describing it as “heartbreaking and unacceptable”.

NMA Vice President, Benjamin Olowojebutu said that the workload on the few remaining doctors in the country has become unbearable.

He said: “It is extremely sad to lose our doctors in the prime of their work, dying in the line of duty. It is extremely frustrating that the workload on the few doctors left in this country has now taken a big blow.

“NMA will continue to engage relevant stakeholders on the working hours of doctors. Right now, the working hours and workload are enormous for the few doctors remaining.

“Adequate welfare in terms of salaries, allowances, and especially a comprehensive health insurance scheme for every doctor working and living in this country must be prioritised.

“We commiserate with the family of our colleague and his friends. May his gentle soul rest in peace. This death must count for some massive improvement in the health sector.”

KanyiDaily recalls that the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) recently gave the Federal Government a 10-day deadline to meet its demands or face a nationwide strike.