Resident Doctor Collapsed and Died After a 72-Hour Shift in the Emergency Unit at RSUTH

Dr. Femi was a young surgery resident doctor at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH). He had just completed a 72-hour call duty in the emergency unit. Afterward, he decided to rest, but his superior insisted he continue working since the hospital was short-staffed.

This avoidable tragedy happened shortly after he retreated to the doctors’ call room to rest. He slumped in the call room and died en route to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Efforts were made to resuscitate him in the ICU, but he did not respond.

This reminds me of my time in Ebonyi State, where we had only one senior resident doctor in the entire Neurosurgery Department. Neurosurgery, known to be the most demanding and stressful surgical specialty, had just one senior resident in a place like Ebonyi, where head injuries are prevalent.

In teaching hospitals, the bulk of patient management lies on resident doctors. These doctors, undergoing training to specialize, face rigorous clinical and academic demands before becoming consultants in their field. Unfortunately, the workload and expectations placed on them are enormous, while the reward remains very little.

Dr. Oluwafemi Rotifa, fondly called Femoski, was a former President of the Port Harcourt University Medical Students’ Association (PUMSA). He was also registered with the UK’s General Medical Council, awaiting placement abroad.