The Port Harcourt University Medical Students’ Association (PUMSA) is mourning the death of its 35th President, Dr. Femi Stephen Rotifa, who reportedly collapsed and died after a gruelling 72-hour work shift at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH).
Dr. Femi, a surgery resident at RSUTH, was said to have complained of fatigue and ill health but was allegedly compelled by a superior to continue working due to staff shortages. He later collapsed in the call room and, despite efforts to revive him, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Intensive Care Unit.
PUMSA, in a statement, described him as “a leader of passion, diligence, and excellence” whose service elevated the association and inspired many. The association said his death reflects the dire working conditions faced by young doctors nationwide.
“This untimely loss is not just personal—it is a grim reminder of the collapsing health sector and the disregard for the plight of doctors, especially young ones,” PUMSA stated, while demanding urgent reforms, justice, and accountability from health authorities.
The tragic incident has sparked outrage among medical students and health professionals, many of whom link his death to systemic failures in Nigeria’s healthcare system, including understaffing, poor welfare, and government neglect. Some colleagues described the sector as “a graveyard” where hospitals are deliberately left under-resourced, leaving doctors overworked and underpaid.
Tributes have continued to pour in for Dr. Femi, remembered as a visionary leader and a promising doctor dedicated to service. He served as the 35th President of PUMSA and left behind a legacy his colleagues say “will never be forgotten.”
His death comes just weeks after medical unions renewed calls on the Federal Government to address nepotism in employment, improve staffing, and ease the burden on healthcare workers across the country.
