The death of Dr. Oluwafemi Rotifa, a resident doctor at Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, who collapsed after a grueling 72-hour shift in early September 2025, has cast a stark light on Nigeria’s healthcare crisis. Found unresponsive in a call room, his death underscores the brutal reality for doctors: crushing workloads, dire conditions, and meager pay pushing many to breaking points or out of the country entirely.
Nigeria’s doctors face relentless schedules—24 to 72-hour shifts with little rest, often napping on corridor benches. Dr. Sola, a junior resident, recalled a night juggling a crash victim, a child in septic shock, and a pregnant woman with eclampsia, with just one monitor to share. “That kind of choice breaks you,” he said. Power cuts, scarce supplies like oxygen or syringes, and unaffordable tests for patients add to the strain. “We save lives daily, but no one saves us,” a weary resident told Vanguard.
Pay is another wound. House officers earn N170,000–N220,000 monthly, junior residents N230,000–N300,000, senior residents N450,000–N650,000, and consultants rarely top N800,000. Meanwhile, UK doctors in training earn over N50 million annually, US residents nearly N90 million, Canadian first-year doctors N80 million, and Australian interns N85–N120 million. Nigerian doctors often wait months for owed salaries or promotions, with Dr. Tope Osundara, NARD president, noting unpaid 2023 arrears and delayed upgrades despite passed exams.
With just 24,000 doctors for 220 million people—a ratio of 1:9,000 against WHO’s 1:600—burnout is rampant. Collapses during rounds are common, and mental health issues, including depression and substance abuse, are rising. “We’re working six to ten times harder than global standards,” said Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu, NMA vice president, who decried unpaid salaries and exploitation of doctors’ duty.
The brain drain is bleeding Nigeria dry. Over 15,000 doctors have migrated to the UK alone in eight years, with 1,197 joining in 2023. Departments shrink—some hospitals have fewer than five residents where 15 are needed—hurting patient care. Nigeria’s maternal mortality accounts for 20% of global deaths, and one in eight children dies before age five, stats worsened by the exodus.
NARD’s strikes, like one in August 2023 demanding 200% pay hikes and better conditions, disrupt care but reflect desperation. “Government promises, then forgets,” Osundara said. Patients suffer most, with families like an elderly diabetic’s waiting days for care or turning to unaffordable private clinics.
Olowojebutu calls for urgent reform: 15% budget allocation to health, prompt salary payments, updated residency funds, and incentives like housing or training subsidies. “Saving doctors is saving Nigeria,” he said, warning that without change, the healthcare system’s collapse will hit ordinary citizens hardest, as brilliance and sacrifice drown in neglect.
