Doctor clarifies palliative care after Ogogo’s daughters claim hospitals refused treatment

A doctor, Olusina Ajidahun, has spoken on claims by the daughters of veteran Yoruba actor, Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, that hospitals have refused to continue treating their father, who is battling stage-four cancer.

Ajidahun, identified on X as The Bearded Dr Sina, said the daughters’ description of their father’s treatment could be misunderstood, particularly their claim that hospitals had refused to treat him.

Reacting to the development on Monday, he explained that patients with stage-four cancer may be moved to palliative care after chemotherapy and other available therapies have been explored.

He said palliative care is a form of treatment aimed at managing symptoms and improving the quality of life of patients with terminal illnesses when the disease can no longer be cured.

The doctor wrote, “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.”

According to him, describing the situation as hospitals refusing to treat the actor could create a negative perception of healthcare workers and potentially trigger hostility against medical professionals.

He said, “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 healthcare workers.”

Ajidahun also cautioned the public against recommending herbal remedies for stage-four cancer, warning that unverified concoctions could cause further complications.

He said, “There are no herbs that will treat a stage 4 cancer. These concoctions will end up damaging more organs and causing more complications. You’d end up wasting money and causing more problems.”

He further explained that stage-four cancer means the disease has spread beyond the organ where it initially developed to other parts of the body.

“People need to understand that Stage 4 cancer means the cancer has left the primary organ and gone to other sites. Your Doctor knows what’s best, and it is good you work hand in hand with the team to give the best productivity,” he said.

Ajidahun expressed sympathy for Ogogo’s family and urged them to work closely with the medical team managing the actor’s condition.

The doctor also clarified that he was not involved in Ogogo’s medical care and was commenting independently on the videos released by the actor’s daughters.

PUNCH Online had earlier reported that Ogogo’s daughters, Lima and Kira Taiwo, separately appealed for help on Instagram over their father’s health condition.

In a video posted on Monday, Lima said the actor’s condition had deteriorated and claimed that hospitals had refused to treat him.

“Hello everybody, good evening. I’m here to ask for help from my daddy. He has cancer and it’s really, really bad.

“And the hospitals are refusing to treat him. At least, please, give this man a chance. Nobody wants to do anything,” she said.

Lima said the family only discovered the extent of the actor’s condition about three weeks earlier, adding that his outward appearance had not reflected the severity of his illness.

She stressed that the family was seeking medical assistance rather than financial donations, appealing to anyone with connections to healthcare providers who could take on her father’s case.

“Please, I’m begging you. If you know somebody that knows somebody that will be willing to treat him, anything, we’re willing to try anything. We’re not here to ask for money. Nobody’s here to ask for money,” she said.

In a separate Instagram video, Kira also appealed for help, disclosing that her father’s cancer was at stage four.

“Hello everyone, I’m here for my daddy. He has cancer and is in stage 4. The hospital is saying that they cannot treat him again, like they can’t give him chemo again,” she said.

Kira appealed to anyone who could provide cancer treatment for the actor, including chemotherapy, to contact the family.

She stressed that the family was not seeking money but medical intervention that could give their father another chance.

“Please, please, if you can treat my daddy, please send me a DM. I’ll be checking my phone. Please, I don’t want my daddy to die,” Kira said.

She became emotional while speaking about her father’s condition, saying she had never seen him in such pain and revealing that he had expressed his fear of dying.

Taiwo Hassan, 66, is a veteran of the Nigerian film industry whose career spans more than four decades. He has featured in more than 300 films and remains one of the most recognisable faces in Yoruba cinema.