A medical doctor, Olusina Ajidahun, has explained the meaning of palliative care after the daughters of veteran Yoruba actor Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, raised concerns over their father’s treatment for stage-four cancer.
The clarification followed emotional appeals from Ogogo’s daughters, Lima and Kira Taiwo, who sought medical assistance for their father and claimed that hospitals were no longer willing to treat him as his condition deteriorated.
According to Ajidahun, the statement that hospitals had refused to treat the actor could be misunderstood. He explained that when a patient has stage-four cancer and available treatments such as chemotherapy and other therapies have been explored, doctors may recommend palliative care.
Palliative care focuses on managing symptoms, relieving pain and discomfort, and improving a patient's quality of life when the disease can no longer be treated with the aim of curing it.
The doctor stressed that moving a patient to palliative care does not necessarily mean medical professionals have abandoned the patient. Rather, the approach is intended to provide appropriate care and comfort while managing the effects of an advanced illness.
Ajidahun also cautioned against portraying medical professionals as deliberately refusing treatment, saying such descriptions could create hostility toward healthcare workers and damage public confidence in the medical profession.
He urged families dealing with advanced cancer to work closely with the medical team caring for their loved ones and seek proper medical guidance before making decisions about treatment.
The doctor further warned the public against turning to unverified herbal remedies for stage-four cancer. He said there are no proven herbal concoctions that can cure stage-four cancer and warned that some unverified treatments could cause additional organ damage and other complications.
He explained that stage-four cancer generally means the disease has spread from the organ where it originally developed to other parts of the body. Treatment decisions at that stage depend on the patient's individual condition and the assessment of the medical team.
Ajidahun made it clear that he was not involved in Ogogo's medical care and was commenting independently in response to the videos shared by the actor's daughters.
The family's appeal had attracted significant attention, with members of the Nigerian entertainment industry also expressing concern and calling for medical assistance for the veteran actor.
One of Ogogo's daughters later dismissed reports circulating on social media that her father had died, urging members of the public to disregard the reports.
Ogogo, who has enjoyed a long career in the Yoruba film industry, remains one of the veteran actors whose work has earned him a large following among Nigerian movie audiences.
As concerns over his health continue, the doctor's explanation has provided additional context about the difference between active cancer treatment and palliative care for patients with advanced disease.
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