RSUTH Doctor slump, dies after running 72-Hour shift

The Nigerian medical community is mourning the death of Dr. Oluwafemi Rotifa, a young resident doctor at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), who reportedly collapsed and died after working a grueling 72-hour shift.

Rotifa, fondly called Femoski by colleagues, was a former President of the Port Harcourt University Medical Students’ Association (PUMSA) and was registered with the UK’s General Medical Council, awaiting placement abroad. Witnesses said he had been on continuous call duty in the Emergency Room for three days before retreating to the call room to rest, where he slumped and later died despite efforts to revive him in the ICU.

President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Tope Osundara, confirmed the tragedy, describing it as preventable and a reflection of Nigeria’s struggling healthcare system. “He was the only one attending to patients, and the overuse of manpower strained his health, leading to this painful death. It was a death on duty,” Osundara said. He urged the government to support Rotifa’s family and urgently reform a system that pushes doctors to exhaustion, warning that “this cycle of needless deaths will continue” if nothing changes.

Osundara lamented that Nigeria’s health sector has been crippled by mass emigration of doctors, leaving those who remain to work multiple shifts without rest. He stressed that the situation affects patient care, noting that Nigeria’s doctor-to-patient ratio stands at 1 to 10,000, far from the World Health Organization’s recommendation of 1 to 600.

Tributes have poured in across social media, with colleagues describing Rotifa as diligent, selfless, and deeply committed to his patients. Many doctors called his death shameful and preventable, demanding urgent reforms to address staff shortages and improve working conditions.

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) also condemned the tragedy, calling it “heartbreaking and unacceptable.” NMA Vice President, Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu, said: “It is extremely sad to lose our doctors in the prime of their work, dying in the line of duty. Adequate welfare, improved salaries, allowances, and a comprehensive health insurance scheme for every doctor must be prioritized.”

He added that Rotifa’s death should spark meaningful changes in Nigeria’s health sector.