The medical community and family members have laid to rest Dr. Oluwafemi Rotifa, a 28-year-old resident doctor at Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), who tragically collapsed and died after reportedly working a 72-hour stretch without rest.
Dr. Rotifa was buried at the Port Harcourt Cemetery on Friday, 5th September 2025. A former president of the Port Harcourt University Medical Students’ Association (PUMSA), he is remembered by colleagues as a brilliant and dedicated doctor whose life was cut short under heartbreaking circumstances.
His death has sparked grief and outrage across Nigeria’s health sector, prompting the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to announce plans for an autopsy to determine the exact cause. The incident has reignited debates on the pressing need to address excessive workloads, inadequate staffing, and poor working conditions in Nigerian hospitals, issues that have long plagued healthcare workers and, according to experts, put patients at risk.
Colleagues and professional bodies have called on both state and federal health authorities to urgently review duty hours, implement enforceable labor protections for medical personnel, and provide support systems to prevent such tragedies in the future. Advocates argue that protecting healthcare workers is not only a moral imperative but essential for the overall efficiency and safety of the healthcare system.
Dr. Rotifa’s untimely death is a stark reminder of the human cost of systemic gaps in Nigeria’s healthcare sector and the urgent need for reforms that safeguard the lives and well-being of frontline medical professionals.
Photo Source: Allwell Ene
Reported by: Stone Reporters News
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