Nigeria Resident Doctor Dies After '72-Hour Shift' in Rivers State

The Digest:

A young resident doctor, Oluwafemi Rotifa, has collapsed and died after reportedly working a continuous 72-hour shift at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH). The incident has sparked outrage from medical professionals.

Key Points:

• Dr. Oluwafemi Rotifa, a resident doctor at RSUTH, has died from overwork after a grueling 72-hour shift.
• He was found slumped in a call room after going to rest, and efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.
• President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Tope Osundara, confirmed the incident.
• Osundara condemned the "very worrisome" workload on Nigerian doctors, calling the death a result of "overuse of manpower."
• The NARD president noted that the doctor had been treating malaria but still had to go to work.
• NARD has called on the government to urgently address staff shortages, improve welfare packages, and enforce humane work schedules for doctors.

The tragic death of Dr. Rotifa has brought renewed attention to the extreme conditions faced by medical professionals in Nigeria. It underscores the urgent need for government intervention to prevent further loss of life from burnout and overwork.

Source: The Nigerian Lawyer

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