A doctor, Olusina Ajidahun, popularly known as The Bearded Dr Sina, has waded into the emotional controversy surrounding veteran Yoruba actor, Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, after his daughters cried out that hospitals were no longer willing to treat their father.
The doctor said the claim that hospitals had “refused” to treat the actor could be misleading, explaining that patients with advanced cancer may sometimes be moved to palliative care when doctors have exhausted, or are no longer able to offer, treatments aimed at controlling the disease.
Olusina Ajidahun, who said he was not part of Ogogo’s medical team, reacted on Monday after the actor’s daughters, Lima and Kira Taiwo, separately released emotional videos seeking help for their father.
The daughters disclosed that Ogogo, 66, had been diagnosed with stage-four cancer, with Kira claiming that the hospital treating him had told the family that he could no longer receive chemotherapy.
Lima had also appealed to Nigerians to help the family find a medical team or facility willing to take on her father’s case, insisting that they were not seeking financial assistance.
But commenting on the development, Ajidahun urged the public to understand what could be happening medically before concluding that the actor had been abandoned by doctors.
According to him, when cancer reaches stage four and available treatments such as chemotherapy have been explored, doctors may recommend palliative care.
He explained that palliative care focuses on relieving pain and other symptoms, improving comfort and supporting the patient and family when the disease can no longer be effectively controlled by treatment aimed at curing or slowing it.
Ajidahun warned that describing the situation simply as hospitals refusing to treat Ogogo could create the impression that medical workers were deliberately abandoning him.
He said such a perception could further fuel distrust and hostility against healthcare professionals, particularly amid existing concerns about Nigeria’s health sector.
The doctor also urged the family and members of the public to work closely with Ogogo’s medical team rather than resorting to unverified treatments.
His warning was particularly directed at claims that herbal remedies could be used as an alternative treatment for the actor’s cancer.
Ajidahun cautioned against giving stage-four cancer patients unverified herbal concoctions, stressing that such substances could cause additional complications or damage other organs.
He further explained that stage-four cancer generally means that the cancer has spread from the place where it started to distant parts of the body, although the exact meaning and treatment options depend on the type and extent of the cancer.
The doctor said the appropriate course of action should be determined by qualified healthcare professionals familiar with the patient’s medical history and condition.
His intervention came after Ogogo’s daughters sparked widespread concern online with their emotional appeals for help.
In her video, Lima said her father’s condition had become serious and alleged that hospitals were refusing to continue treating him.
She appealed to anyone with access to cancer specialists or hospitals to help the family secure further medical care, stressing that they were not asking Nigerians for money.
Lima said the family only became aware of the seriousness of her father’s condition about three weeks earlier, claiming that his appearance had not initially suggested that he was battling such a severe illness.
She broke down while pleading with anyone who could help, saying she could not bear to watch her father die.
In a separate video, Kira disclosed that Ogogo’s cancer was at stage four and said the hospital had informed the family that he could no longer receive chemotherapy.
She also appealed to anyone who could provide treatment for the actor to contact the family.
Kira, however, mentioned both medical treatment and herbal remedies in her desperate appeal, saying the family was willing to explore any option that could help their father.
She became emotional while describing the actor’s condition, saying she had never seen him in such pain and revealing that he had expressed fear of dying.
The appeals triggered an outpouring of concern from fans and colleagues, while the doctor’s intervention has now added a medical perspective to the emotional conversation.
Ogogo, one of the most recognisable faces in Yoruba cinema, has spent more than four decades in the Nigerian film industry and has featured in hundreds of movies.
Ajidahun ended his intervention by sympathising with the actor’s family and expressing hope that the family and Ogogo’s medical team would work together to give him the best possible care.
He also stressed that his comments were independent and that he had no involvement in Ogogo’s treatment.
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