The Nigerian medical community is in mourning after a young resident doctor, Dr. Femi Rotifa, collapsed and died at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH) in Port Harcourt, following an exhausting 72-hour duty shift. His death has sparked outrage and renewed calls for urgent reforms in Nigeria’s overstretched healthcare system.
Rotifa, who was a frontline physician in the Emergency Room, had reportedly been the only doctor on call for three consecutive days. After leaving the ward to rest in the call room, he slumped and could not be revived despite frantic efforts by colleagues. He was confirmed dead in the same hospital where he had spent his last hours saving lives.
Dr. Tope Osundara, President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), confirmed the tragedy, describing it as “a death on duty.” He lamented the unbearable workload that has forced young doctors to endure life-threatening shifts due to manpower shortages. “What happened is that he was on call in the ER. Afterward, he went to the call room to rest, and it was there that he died. The overuse of manpower strained his health and led to this painful death,” Osundara said.
Tributes have poured in for the late doctor, who was a former President of the Port Harcourt University Medical Students’ Association (PUMSA). Colleagues described him as brilliant, dedicated, and compassionate — a rising star in medicine whose career was cut short by systemic neglect.
What makes his death even more heartbreaking is that Rotifa had already secured registration with the UK’s General Medical Council and was awaiting placement abroad. Friends said he was preparing to relocate to the United Kingdom in search of better working conditions, but fate struck before he could leave.
On social media, fellow doctors and classmates expressed grief and anger, calling his death preventable. Many highlighted how brain drain, poor hospital funding, and government neglect continue to put young doctors at risk. “We are losing our brightest minds to burnout and tragedy because the system keeps failing us,” one colleague wrote.
The shocking incident has reignited debates about the unsafe working conditions of Nigerian doctors, many of whom work grueling shifts with inadequate rest. Advocacy groups are now demanding that the government address manpower shortages, enforce maximum shift limits, and prioritize healthcare worker welfare before more lives are lost in service.
