The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has faulted Nigeria’s healthcare system following the death of Dr. Salome Oboyi, a senior registrar who contracted Lassa fever while treating a patient at a teaching hospital in Jos, Plateau State, the association said in a statement.
Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic disease endemic in parts of Nigeria. Plateau State has recorded confirmed cases and deaths from Lassa fever this season, including among healthcare workers, as authorities continue surveillance and response efforts across several local government areas.
Dr. Oboyi worked in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Bingham University Teaching Hospital (BHUTH) in Jos, where she treated patients before falling ill.
Her death occurred after she contracted the disease in the course of her professional duties, officials said.
In a press statement titled “Loss of a Hero,” NARD described Dr. Oboyi’s death as “tragic and untimely” and said it was the consequence of systemic failures within the healthcare system that routinely expose frontline workers to danger.
The statement was signed by NARD’s national president, secretary-general and other officers.
NARD said that Dr. Oboyi, as a senior registrar, played a critical role in maternal and reproductive healthcare delivery and worked long hours responding to emergencies, mentoring junior doctors and attending to patients.
The association said her sacrifice was real and that she died performing her duty to preserve life and protect society.
The doctors’ body said unsafe working conditions are widespread, citing inadequate personal protective equipment, weak infection prevention and control measures, delayed diagnosis of infectious diseases and poor occupational health structures.
It emphasised that managing Lassa fever is a high-risk task that requires robust protection and support for health workers.
NARD called on the federal and state governments to recognise Dr. Oboyi’s death as an occupational hazard and take responsibility, provide urgent and adequate compensation for her family, improve workplace safety for healthcare workers and strengthen infection prevention and control systems.
The association also urged authorities to ensure functional health insurance and prompt compensation for health workers who die on duty.
The association expressed concern about what it described as unequal public attention given to deaths among healthcare workers compared with high-profile figures in entertainment and politics, and said silence following the deaths of doctors raises questions about whose lives are valued in the nation.
The death of a doctor from Lassa fever while treating patients highlights ongoing challenges in protecting health workers from infectious disease exposure.
Public health officials in Plateau State and other affected regions are continuing surveillance, contact tracing and treatment efforts as part of outbreak response measures.
In Plateau State, authorities have confirmed multiple confirmed cases of Lassa fever across several local government areas, and rapid response teams are deployed to affected communities while residents are urged to follow preventive measures and seek prompt medical care if symptoms appear.
