The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has mourned the death of Salome Oboyi, a senior registrar at Bingham University Teaching Hospital (BHUTH), who died after contracting lassa fever from a patient under her care.
Oboyi, a doctor in the hospital’s obstetrics and gynaecology department, died on Monday.
In a statement issued on Thursday, NARD described her death as a “painful reminder of the daily risks doctors take while serving humanity”.
The association said her death was also “a glaring symbol of a systemic failure that continues to claim the lives of our finest minds in silence”.
According to the association, Oboyi was known for her selflessness and dedication to her work.
“She did not die chasing fame. She did not die seeking applause. She died doing her job — saving lives,” the statement reads.
“Her death is not just a personal loss to her family or an institutional loss to BHUTH; it is a collective tragedy for the Nigerian medical community and a glaring symbol of a systemic failure that continues to claim the lives of our finest minds in silence.
“We sincerely commiserate with the management of Bingham University Teaching Hospital, her colleagues, friends, her grieving family, the entire NARDITES, and the Nigerian medical community at large.
“May her sacrifice not be forgotten. May her death not be in vain. May her story awaken a nation.”
Oboyi’s death adds to a growing list of health workers who have lost their lives to lassa fever in the line of duty.
In 2023, Idowu Ahmad, a medical doctor at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Lokoja, Kogi state, died after contracting the virus while treating patients.
Meanwhile, the Benue state ministry of health said on Wednesday that at least four frontline health workers in the state have been infected with lassa fever.
