Dr Benjamin Ohiaeri, Founder of First Consultants and Ebola Crisis Hero, Dies
Dr Benjamin Nnamdi Ohiaeri, renowned obstetrician and gynaecologist and founder of First Consultants Medical Centre in Lagos, has died. He was widely remembered for the hospital’s pivotal role in containing Nigeria’s 2014 Ebola outbreak. When Liberian-American traveller Patrick Sawyer arrived at the hospital in July 2014, Dr Ameyo Adadevoh and her colleagues suspected Ebola despite initial malaria findings. Dr Ohiaeri supported the decision to keep Sawyer isolated, even amid pressure for his release. Their actions helped prevent a wider outbreak in Lagos. The outbreak came at a devastating cost to First Consultants. Several staff members, including Dr Adadevoh, died after exposure to the virus. Dr Ohiaeri later described the loss of his colleagues as far more painful than the equipment and financial damage suffered by the hospital. Dr Ohiaeri’s contribution to the response was later recognised locally and internationally. His role was portrayed by Danny Glover in the film "93 Days," which documented the Ebola crisis and the sacrifices of the medical workers who confronted it.
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