The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Rivers State chapter, has confirmed that an autopsy will be conducted on Dr. Femi Rotifa, a medical doctor attached to the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), who reportedly died while on duty.
A senior NMA official disclosed this on Thursday following media reports that the doctor collapsed in the hospital’s call room after allegedly working for more than 72 hours.
Reacting to the incident, Dr. Stephen Nyeche, a Nigerian doctor practicing in the United Kingdom, faulted the lack of staff welfare policies in tertiary hospitals. He stressed that institutions like RSUTH should provide routine medical check-ups for workers, adding that both public and private hospitals in Rivers State should make such services free for their staff.
The incident comes less than a year after suspended Governor Siminialayi Fubara approved the recruitment of 2,000 medical personnel in the state—half of them assigned to the Rivers State Health Management Board and the other half to RSUTH.
