29/05/2026
We received 477 nominations, with 54 doctors nominated across multiple states.
The inaugural recipient of the Gabriel Oyetunji Award for Compassionate Care received 210 nominations — more than any other doctor in the process.
Congratulations to Dr. Yibala Akpama Edimek, Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Wuse District Hospital, Abuja. 🏆
What stood out was not the number of nominations.
It was the stories.
They were not vague expressions of gratitude. They were specific, detailed, and deeply human.
One patient whose family could not afford an emergency Caesarean section shared that Dr. Akpama quietly covered part of the cost and continued to follow up on the children long after the surgery.
Another family, navigating the fear and uncertainty of a loved one's haemorrhagic stroke, described a doctor who stayed beyond her rounds, explained every step, and made them feel seen during one of the most frightening moments of their lives.
Story after story painted the same picture.
A doctor who gives not because the system makes it easy, but because she has chosen compassion as a way of practice.
One nominator captured it beautifully:
"She is not just saving lives medically. She is restoring hope to families and communities through her compassion and generosity."
The Gabriel Oyetunji Award for Compassionate Care was created from a simple belief that compassionate care should not be invisible.
It should be seen, celebrated, and held up as the standard Nigerian healthcare workers aspire to—not the exception.
To Dr. Akpama, congratulations and thank you for reminding us what is possible when clinical excellence is matched by humanity.
And this is only the beginning.
Over the coming months, PDF Nigeria will spotlight other doctors nominated through this process.
53 more names.
53 more stories.
53 more reminders that across Nigeria, extraordinary healthcare workers are quietly changing lives every day.
Watch this space.
