Ahmed Isaiah, a doctor at the General Hospital in Garaku, in the Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, died of Lassa fever.
He was said to have said he had a fever but kept working anyway, only to pass out during surgery.
Dr. Peter Attah, who is the Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) in Nasarawa State, confirmed the sad news on Tuesday, January 10, 2023, in Lafia. He said the doctor died on December 31.
"As an organization, we found out about him after he was dead, but our research showed that the illness started with a fever, but he kept working while he was getting treatment," he said.
"While on call on December 24, he passed out in the operating room while operating on a patient. His family had to rush him to the National Hospital in Abuja, but we lost him," he said.
Attah was sad that the sample taken and tested for Lassa Fever didn't come out until after the doctor had died.
"There were only two doctors at the General Hospital, Garaku, so the deceased had to go to work and do surgery even when he was sick.
"How can only two doctors take care of the over 150,000 people in the LGA?" There is too much to do.
"The government should hire more doctors and offer incentives to keep smart people from leaving the state," he said.
He said that the person who died had just graduated from college five years before. He died when he was at his best and left behind a wife, children, and other loved ones.
He also asked the state government to raise doctors' "hazard" pay and start paying them "call-to-duty" pay.
Egba Edogo, who is the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Hospital Management Board, sent his condolences to the association and said that the man who died was very dedicated to his job and nice to the people who worked with him.
Edogo said that the board was still in shock over Ahmed's death and asked God to give his family the strength to deal with it, forgive him for his mistakes, and let him rest in peace for all time.
Even though the cause of Lassa fever is unknown, the CMD said that health care workers should take precautions.
Image: Representative