Young Doctor Laid to Rest in Rivers Amid Outcry Over Medical Work Conditions

Port Harcourt, Tears flowed on Friday as the body of Dr. Oluwafemi Rotifa, a 28-year-old resident doctor at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), was committed to earth at the Port Harcourt Cemetery.

Friends, colleagues, and family members paid glowing tributes to the late physician, describing him as a brilliant young doctor whose promising career was cut short.

Rotifa, a former president of the Port Harcourt University Medical Students’ Association (PUMSA), reportedly collapsed earlier in the week inside the hospital’s call room. Attempts to revive him at the Intensive Care Unit were unsuccessful.

His sudden passing has sparked grief and debate within Nigeria’s medical community, with conflicting accounts emerging over the circumstances of his death.

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) alleged that Rotifa died after working a gruelling 72-hour shift in the hospital’s emergency unit. NARD president, Dr. Tope Osundara, described the tragedy as “a death on duty,” blaming staff shortages and excessive workload.

“We have warned that burnout among doctors is reaching dangerous levels. The system is overstretched. Doctors are overworked, underpaid, and poorly motivated,” Osundara said, urging government reforms.

At the national level, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) called the incident “heartbreaking and unacceptable,” with Vice President Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu demanding urgent welfare improvements for healthcare workers.

However, the Rivers State chapter of the NMA gave a different account. Its spokesperson, Dr. Siene Orogun, stated that Rotifa was not on duty on the night he died but had been recuperating from malaria.

“He had been advised to rest, was on medication, and had even watched football with friends before retiring to the call room. Sadly, colleagues later found him lifeless,” Orogun explained. She added that the late doctor had prescribed intravenous quinine for himself when his condition persisted. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the medical cause of death.

Rotifa’s death has reignited concerns over Nigeria’s health sector, where the doctor-to-patient ratio is estimated at 1 to 10,000, far below the World Health Organisation’s recommended 1 to 600.

At his graveside, colleagues remembered him not just as a committed doctor but also as a mentor and friend. Social media tributes poured in, with many recalling that “Femoski,” as he was fondly called, had recently registered with the UK General Medical Council and was preparing to further his career abroad.

As his coffin was lowered, the grief in Port Harcourt captured not only the loss of a promising young life but also the deeper crisis confronting Nigeria’s overstretched medical workforce.