A young resident doctor, Dr. Oluwafemi Rotifa, has died after reportedly collapsing from exhaustion at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt.
Dr. Rotifa was said to have slumped in the doctors’ call room on Monday after completing what colleagues described as a strenuous 72-hour duty shift.
Despite efforts to revive him at the intensive care unit, he passed away.
Confirming the development, the President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, Dr. Tope Osundara, decried the heavy workload faced by doctors across the country.
He said the late Rotifa had been on call in the hospital’s emergency ward before the incident, stressing that prolonged shifts and staff shortages are exposing medical practitioners to burnout.
Dr. Osundara revealed that the deceased had also been battling malaria but could not get adequate rest due to the overwhelming pressure of duty.
He described the situation as a reflection of the neglect of doctors’ welfare and the dangerous practice of stretching manpower beyond humane limits.
He therefore called on government at all levels to urgently address staff shortages in the health sector, improve welfare packages, and enforce better work schedules for medical personnel to prevent further tragedies.