A Yobe family is mourning the loss of twin sisters who both worked in healthcare. Dr Hadiyah Usman, a medical doctor, and Dr Aidah Usman, a pharmacist, died within two days of each other. Both had been living with sickle cell disease.
Who They Were
Hadiyah was doing her internship at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Nguru, in Nguru Local Government Area. Aidah worked as a pharmacist at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
Their mother is Prof Hadiza Abdullahi Usman, the Medical Director of FMC Nguru. So the sisters grew up in a household where medicine was part of daily life.
How the Family Remembers Them
A relative, Ibrahim Auwal, confirmed the news to PUNCH Online on Monday. He described the sisters as hardworking young professionals who were committed to their careers.
In his words, they had promising futures ahead of them. He said the family was devastated and in shock. Their deaths, he added, are a great loss to relatives, friends and colleagues.
The Final Days
Hadiyah was admitted to FMC Nguru for about a week after a sickle cell crisis. She died on Friday, October 2.
Aidah was receiving treatment at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital around the same time. She reportedly recovered and left the hospital. Sadly, she died two days after her sister, on Sunday, October 4.
The family buried the sisters according to Islamic rites.
