Mirian Gom 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) raises alarm over unsafe working conditions following the death of a senior registrar,Dr Salome Oboyi, who contracts Lassa fever while treating a patient in Jos, Plateau State.
Dr Oboyi, a registrar in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Bingham University Teaching Hospital, died on 2 February, becoming one of several healthcare workers affected amid Nigeria’s rising Lassa fever cases.
In a statement signed by its president, Dr Mohammad Suleiman, NARD described the death as “tragic, untimely, and avoidable,” blaming systemic failures in the healthcare system.
“She stood at the core of maternal healthcare delivery, saving lives daily,” the association says. “Her death reflects the risks doctors face in poorly protected environments.”
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, four healthcare workers are infected with Lassa fever by week three of 2026, following 24 infections recorded in 2025. Nationally, 93 confirmed cases and 17 deaths are reported so far this year.
“Doctors show up knowing that a single exposure may cost them their lives,” the statement reads.
The association calls on federal and state governments to officially recognise such deaths as occupational hazards, demand prompt compensation for affected families, and urgently improve workplace safety standards.
“Protecting doctors is not a favour; it is a responsibility,” NARD says, urging public solidarity and policy reforms.
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Hussaini Ibrahim 
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