Ogogo’s stage-four cancer: Doctor clarifies daughter’s claim on hospital refusing treatment, explains palliative care

• Dr Olusina Ajidahun said claims that hospitals refused to treat Ogogo could create a misleading impression about his medical care.

• He explained that palliative care may be recommended after chemotherapy and other treatment options have been explored.

• Ogogo’s daughters said a hospital told them it could no longer administer chemotherapy to their father.

• The doctor warned against unverified herbal remedies for stage-four cancer.

A doctor has explained why a patient with stage-four cancer may be moved to palliative care after the daughters of veteran Yoruba actor Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, claimed hospitals had stopped treating their father.

Dr Olusina Ajidahun, known on X as The Bearded Dr Sina, said the claim that doctors “don’t want to treat” the actor could give the public the wrong impression about the medical team's decision.

Ajidahun, who said he was not involved in Ogogo’s medical care, explained that palliative care may become an option when a patient with advanced cancer has already undergone chemotherapy and other available therapies.

“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,” he said.

The doctor said describing the situation as a hospital simply refusing to treat Ogogo could make it appear that medical professionals were deliberately denying him care.

“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.

His comments followed separate appeals by Ogogo’s daughters, Halimah and Shakirat Taiwo, who recently went online seeking help for their father.

Lima said in an Instagram video that Ogogo’s condition had deteriorated and claimed that hospitals were refusing to treat him.

She said the family had only become aware of the seriousness of his condition about three weeks earlier, despite the actor not initially appearing severely ill.

Lima appealed to anyone who could connect the family with a healthcare provider willing to take on Ogogo’s case, stressing that they were seeking medical help rather than financial donations.

Kira, in a separate video, disclosed that her father had stage-four cancer and said the hospital had told the family it could no longer administer chemotherapy.

“The hospital is saying that they cannot treat him again, like they can’t give him chemo again,” she said.

She also appealed for anyone who could provide cancer treatment to contact the family, mentioning chemotherapy as well as herbal options.

The daughters' accounts prompted Ajidahun to caution against presenting the situation as a straightforward refusal by doctors to provide care, particularly where treatment options may have been exhausted or deemed unsuitable.

He also warned against unverified herbal remedies being promoted as treatments for advanced cancer.

“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 said.

Ajidahun further explained that stage-four cancer means the disease has spread beyond the organ where it first 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.

Palliative care, as explained by the doctor, focuses on managing symptoms associated with serious illness and helping patients maintain their quality of life when the underlying disease can no longer be treated effectively.

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The concept is particularly relevant in advanced cancer, where doctors may determine that further chemotherapy or other disease-directed treatments are unlikely to provide sufficient benefit. The decision to stop a particular treatment does not necessarily mean that all medical care has ended.

Ajidahun urged Ogogo’s family to continue working with the medical team caring for the actor and expressed sympathy for them during the difficult period.

“I do hope Ogogo’s daughter and family see this. Wishing the family all the best throughout the trying times,” he added.

Ogogo, 66, has spent more than four decades in the Nigerian film industry and has featured in over 300 films, becoming one of the prominent figures in Yoruba cinema.