We prescribe bed rest for our patients. But if a doctor asks for it, we call them weak.
The irony of being a doctor in Nigeria:
We tell people to avoid stress, that the body needs rest to function. We sign sick leave notes without blinking. But when one of us falls sick? We're forced to show up.
If a doctor requests a few days off, the Chief asks, 'So who will do your work?' And the colleagues? They don't say it, but you can feel it—the silent resentment. Because if he leaves, his patients become their problem. The system has pitted us against each other just to survive.
We have normalised 48 to 72-hour straight shifts. We call it 'dedication.' But here's the truth no one says:
A sleep-deprived doctor is a danger to themselves and their patients. One moment of fatigue, one misread chart, one wrong calculation—and a life is gone. Whose fault will that be? The doctor's? Or the system that broke them?
This needs to stop.
So I'm asking you: How do we fix this? Should junior doctors start saying NO to inhumane shifts, even if it means losing their jobs? Or do we keep sacrificing our health for a system that doesn't value us?
If you're a doctor, drop your experience below. The world needs to see what we go through. 👇
#MedTwitter #NigerianDoctors #HealthcareHeroes #MedicalLife
The video may be in poor taste, but he was at least honest. I can’t hold that against him. And if she chooses to stay, that’s her decision & her problem/burden. Her reasons to stay don’t have to make sense to us. Not every decision is ours to judge, as we don’t live with them.
If you preach the gospel you have to hold yourself to a higher standard of personal conduct, you cannot risk engaging in behaviors that disgrace the gospel.