LUTH doctor dies after 72-hour shift

A medical doctor at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) in the Idi-Araba area of Lagos State, Dr Umoh Michael, has been confirmed dead after working for 72 hours in the hospital.

It was gathered that Michael, a resident physician, died on Sunday, September 17, 2023, while attending a church service at the United Evangelical Church in Lagos.

The doctor was said to have slumped in the church and passed away after finishing a 72-hour shift at LUTH.

The incident was confirmed by the LUTH chapter of the Association of Resident Doctors via a letter addressed to the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Wasiu Lanre Adeyemo.

The doctors stated: “We, the house officers, are deeply saddened by the death of Dr. Umoh Michael, a co-house officer, who passed away on September 17, 2023, following a 72-hour call in the Neurosurgery Unit.

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“He is said to have been on call 72hrs before arriving home on Sunday morning to get set for church service, reaching his worship centre (United Evangelical Church) where he slumped in the church at about 11 a.m.

“His roommate attested to the fact that Umoh Michael had barely slept in their apartment over the past one week as he was always on call or the day he returned home was around 3 a.m. after surgeries and other activities in the Neurosurgery Unit.”

Reacting to various posts on the doctor’s death on X (formerly Twitter), the Public Relations Officer of LUTH, Omolola Fakeye, on Wednesday, said: “It is not true that anybody worked for 72 hours. I have not been briefed about his death.”

The Star