By Chioma Obinna
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, on Saturday condemned what it described as Nigeria’s failing healthcare system following the death of Dr. Salome Oboyi, a Senior Registrar in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Bingham University Teaching Hospital (BHUTH), Jos, who died after contracting Lassa fever while treating a patient.
Late Oboyi passed away on Monday, February 2, 2026, after being exposed to the highly infectious disease in the course of her duties. Her death has sparked outrage within the medical community, with NARD insisting that the loss was preventable and should be treated as an occupational hazard.
In a press statement titled: Loss of a Hero”, and jointly signed by the National President, Dr Mohammad Suleiman, Secretary-General, Dr Shuaibu Ibrahim and the Publicity and Social Secretary, Dr. Abdulmajid Ibrahim, NARD said the doctor’s death was not an accident but “the predictable consequence of a healthcare system that routinely exposes its frontline workers to danger and then mourns them quietly.”
According to the association, Oboyi, as a senior registrar, played a critical role in maternal and reproductive healthcare delivery, working long hours, responding to emergencies, mentoring junior doctors, and saving the lives of mothers and unborn children.
“Her service was critical. Her sacrifice was real. Her life was valuable. She “did not die seeking applause or recognition but died doing what doctors are trained and sworn to do—preserve life and protect society.”NARD lamented what it described as a troubling silence that often follows the deaths of doctors who contract infectious diseases in the line of duty, noting that such losses rarely attract the public outrage or institutional response accorded to other high-profile deaths.
“When doctors die from the very diseases they are meant to fight, the nation often responds with silence. This raises a painful question: whose lives do we truly value as a nation?” the association asked.
The Resident doctors’ body said medical practitioners across Nigeria continue to work in high-risk environments marked by inadequate personal protective equipment, weak infection prevention and control systems, delayed diagnosis of infectious diseases, and poor occupational health and insurance frameworks.
“Doctors show up daily despite knowing that a single exposure may cost them their lives. When that happens, families are left grieving, colleagues are demoralised, and the system moves on,” NARD stated.Describing the management of Lassa fever as particularly dangerous, NARD said doctors often work in resource-constrained settings with weak institutional safeguards and little assurance of support if the worst were to happen.
“Doctors go in anyway—driven by duty, compassion, and oath. They should not have to pay with their lives,” the association said.
NARD called on the Federal and State Governments to take immediate responsibility for the loss, recognise it as an occupational hazard, and ensure urgent and adequate compensation for Oboyi’s family.It also demanded improved workplace safety for healthcare workers, strengthened infection prevention and control measures, functional health insurance, prompt compensation for doctors who die in service, and greater government preparedness for infectious disease outbreaks.
According to NARD President, Dr. Mohammad Usman Suleiman, protecting doctors is not optional.“Nigeria can no longer afford indifference to the safety of frontline healthcare workers. Protecting doctors is not a favour—it is a responsibility,” he said.
The association urged the Nigerian public to stand in solidarity with doctors, warning that continued neglect would weaken the healthcare system and endanger more lives.“When doctors die silently, healthcare becomes more fragile and lives that could have been saved in the future are lost,” NARD warned.
NARD commiserated with the management of Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Oboyi’s colleagues, friends, and family, and the wider Nigerian medical community, describing her as a fallen hero whose death must compel urgent policy action.
“Her death should awaken policy, stir conscience, and compel action. Anything less would be a betrayal of her sacrifice,” they said.
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