Medical doctor Olusina Ajidahun has clarified how palliative care works for patients with advanced cancer following claims by the daughters of veteran Yoruba actor Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, that hospitals had refused to continue treating their father.
According to The Punch, Ajidahun, who is known on X as The Bearded Dr Sina, reacted on Monday to videos shared by Ogogo’s daughters, Lima and Kira Taiwo, in which they appealed for medical assistance for the 66-year-old actor, who they said is battling stage-four cancer.
The doctor said the description that hospitals had refused to treat the actor could create a misleading impression about the medical team involved in his care, particularly when treatment options such as chemotherapy may already have been explored.
Doctor explains palliative care
Ajidahun explained that patients with stage-four cancer may sometimes be moved to palliative care when chemotherapy and other available therapies are no longer considered suitable.
“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 continued, “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.”
Ajidahun warned that describing the situation simply as doctors refusing treatment could create hostility towards healthcare professionals, especially amid recent tensions involving workers in the health sector.
“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.
Warning against unverified herbal remedies
The doctor also cautioned members of the public against recommending herbal mixtures or unverified remedies to the family as alternatives to medical treatment.
He argued that such concoctions could further damage the patient’s organs and complicate an already serious medical condition.
“IF YOU HAVE HERBS that treat cancer. Don’t do this.. 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 wrote.
Explaining the severity of stage-four cancer, Ajidahun said it generally means the disease has spread beyond the organ where it initially developed.
“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, however, stressed that he was not part of Ogogo’s medical team and was only commenting independently based on the videos released by the actor’s daughters.
“I do hope Ogogo’s daughter and family see this. Wishing the family all the best throughout the trying times,” he added.
Daughters make emotional appeal
The clarification followed emotional appeals from Lima and Kira, who separately took to Instagram seeking medical assistance for their father.
Lima said Ogogo’s condition had deteriorated and claimed hospitals were no longer willing to continue his treatment.
“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.
According to Lima, the family only discovered the severity of the actor’s illness about three weeks earlier because his physical appearance initially did not indicate how serious his condition had become.
“You see him, you can’t even know that something is wrong that bad. It’s just starting to show. We didn’t even know until like three weeks ago,” she said.
She stressed that the family was not appealing for financial donations but wanted help connecting with medical professionals or facilities willing to assess and treat the actor.
“We’re not here to ask for money. Nobody’s here to ask for money,” she said.
Ogogo’s daughter pleads for treatment
In a separate video, Kira confirmed that her father was battling stage-four cancer and said doctors had informed the family that chemotherapy could no longer continue.
“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 with access to cancer specialists or treatment facilities to contact the family, insisting that their primary concern was finding another medical option for their father.
“If you can treat my daddy, if you can start chemo for him, whether it’s medical or herbs, please, I’m begging you, guys, I’m begging you,” she said.
She became emotional while describing her father’s condition, saying she had never seen him experience such severe pain.
“He’s saying that he doesn’t want to die. Please, I’ve never seen my daddy in that kind of pain before,” Kira said.
Ogogo’s decades-long Nollywood career
Taiwo Hassan is one of the most recognisable veterans of the Yoruba-language film industry, with a career spanning more than four decades.
Popularly known by his screen name Ogogo, the actor has appeared in more than 300 films and has remained a prominent figure in Nollywood throughout his career.
The family’s appeal has drawn attention to his health condition, while Ajidahun’s intervention has also sparked discussion about the difference between withdrawing curative treatment and providing palliative care for patients with advanced illness.
