A medical doctor has offered an explanation following claims by the daughters of veteran actor Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, that hospitals had refused to continue treating their father, who is battling stage-four cancer
The doctor, identified as The Bearded Dr Sina on X, said the actor’s daughters’ description could be misconstrued and potentially portray healthcare workers negatively.
In a post on Monday, Dr Ajidahun explained that patients with advanced stage-four cancer may be moved to palliative care after chemotherapy and other available treatment options have been exhausted.
“They don’t want to treat my father again. This is a dangerous statement and can set the tide against the medical team treating her Dad,” he wrote.
He explained that palliative care is provided to patients with terminal illnesses when treatment is no longer able to cure the underlying disease, focusing instead on managing symptoms and improving quality of life.
“When patients have stage 4 cancer and chemo and/or other therapies have been explored, there is a form of care called PALLIATIVE CARE… which is end-of-life care and care for terminal diseases because at the point of the disease you cannot treat it, but you can manage associated symptoms and give the person a good quality of life before death,” he said.
The doctor cautioned that describing the situation as hospitals “refusing to treat” the actor could create the impression that medical personnel were deliberately denying him care.
“Saying they don’t want to treat my father makes it look like they are intentionally rejecting him, and in the context of recent happenings in the health sector, it can trigger an insurrection and put a bad label on health care workers,” he said.
Ogogo’s daughters, Lima and Kira Taiwo, separately appealed for help on Instagram for their father’s treatment.
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