What drove four men to leave the lustre of some developed countries, where they were practising medicine, return home and set up a specialist hospital? Passion, they say. OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA writes
Their first medical feat, after opening their hospital in Lagos, came after treating a man, who was rejected by three major hospitals, including a teaching hospital.
The patient fell from a 24-storey building and smashed his skull. Though the patient lost an eye, he is grateful that he is alive.
The doctors who performed the ‘magic’ were Dr Roger Olade, Dr Ayotunde Adeyeri, Dr Gbadebo Adebayo and Dr Muyiwa Onabanjo.
They have many things in common. They were trained in the country before going abroad in search greener pastures in the 90s. But they were in touch with home by conducting trainings for their colleagues and budding medics through the Lagos State Government, especially on the use of high-tech medical devices.
Like Onabanjo, Olade also trained at the University College Hospital (UCH), the medical school of the University of Ibadan (UI).
Their passion moved them to set up the Genesis Specialist Hospital – to ensure that Medicine is practised the way it should. They said they took the name from Genesis – a Greek word for “beginning”.
According to Olade, Genesis Specialist Hospital was set up to enhance the quality of healthcare delivery. “The way things ought to be done. For instance, nobody should pronounce a person dead until certain screenings and tests are performed. But what is rife here is to give on patient right there in the car or whatever mode of transportation brought same to a hospital premises.
“When a patient is rushed into a hospital as an emergency, the first thing to do is check for the pulses and other vital organs and signs. Then decide if same should be placed on support machine before any other thing. But it is ridiculous to see patients being examined in the vehicles. And when the patient is unconscious, same is pronounced dead. It is sad. That is just an instance. There are so many others taken for granted here that could become libelous elsewhere in a developed country,” he said.
Olade is the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Genesis Specialist Hospital. He practised internal medicine in the United States for over 20 years. He said the only the best can be expected from his team.
He is a specialist in areas, such as internal medicine, emergency medicine, critical care medicine and preventive medicine.
“For instance, despite being charged exorbitantly for bringing in some devices and medical equipment that dig huge deep hole in our savings, in spite of poor energy supply that even damaged some of these equipment, as a team we are not daunted. We are inspired by the Health Minister, Prof Isaac Adewole, our mentor and lecturer, now at the helm of affairs in the nation’s health sector that things can only get better. We are here for real to add our quota towards nation building.
“We are so determined to entrench quality care to patients. We have a 10-bed facility and we provide telemedicine services to our patients that wish to communicate with their private physicians across the world. We also utilise tele-medicine service for specialist physician consultations to assist with the care of our patients in the hospital for e-ICU services, surgical collaboration and general medical advice. The benefits of telemedicine include- reducing patient and family travel outside of the country, improves care coordination and continuity and reduces the need for patient transfers between health care facilities. We hold the ethics of medical profession. Not driven by gain or money. We just want to express our love and passion for what we love doing.”
Olade said his hospital is with a difference, created out of need and purpose. “Our concept is borne out pf need for world standad medical care. The heartbeat of Genesis Specialist Hospital is our staff that provides the high quality care. The team is made up of top-notch of US and UK board-certified physicians and nurses.
‘’We are deploying state-of-the-art technologies and US-trained physicians to tackle critical health challenges in the country particularly in the areas of cancer, stroke, and heart diseases, among others.
Olade said: “Our focus is in critical care medicine and surgeries. We are a state-of-the-art facility with one of the best intensive care units (ICU) in the country. Our goal is to contribute our expertise to the development of the healthcare sector.”
According to him, it is high time the country strategised to change the fortune of healthcare practice in Nigeria and positions itself as a destination for quality healthcare across Africa.
“This is not just an investment for us, it is a passion and a commitment towards contributing to the development of our dear country. We want to play a role in reversing medical tourism. Genesis Specialist Hospital is owned by a group of US-trained physicians, with an attitude that people do not have to leave the country for medical care. We have started training other physicians through our conferences,” he added.
Olade said public health education and emergency preparedness were still lacking in the country.
“Almost half a million people are infected yearly with Lassa fever in West Africa. To prevent severe outbreaks, the focus should be on educating the vulnerable population about personal hygiene and public health. Our emergency preparedness should be on point,” he added.
Olade’s partner, Onabanjo said: “We are here to provide the best possible healthcare available, we will not compromise. We are committed to respecting and protecting the rights of our patients and families. We are here to alter the landscape of health care practice in the country and its environs. To provide patient-oriented world class healthcare and our values is hinged on integrity, exceptionalism, confidentiality and compassion.”
Onabanjo, who has over 20 years experience in Public Health and Internal Medicine, said the concept of setting up the hospital was based on the need to create world standard.
“We are not just a typical specialist hospital, but a centre with a focus on providing high quality care to our patients. Everyone is an individual and so is the pain they go through. We are trained to give a head-to-toe assessment, discuss the pain and identify treatment options. We want value-entrenched driven by passion for patient treatment and not money. Orientation must change from making money to first offering service to a patient,” he said.
