Ola Brown: Beacon of hope, unveils new air ambulance interior

Managing Director of Flying Doctors Nigeria, Dr. Ola Orekunrin has continued to blaze the trail in the area of healthcare innovation in Nigeria and has continued to invest heavily in air ambulance sector.

Having invested hugely in the new aircraft, she is optimistic that her firm would be able to improve on delivery and also provide support to their partners and stakeholders from across the world.

She is a beacon of hope, with 20 aircraft and 47 staff. Forty-four of the staffs are doctors, including a team of senior flight physicians who are skilled in critical care designed to work miles above ground.

Flying Doctors Nigeria has partnered Nigerian hospitals, each specialising in a particular type of care. For example, Lagos’s Lagoon hospital treats burns and orthopaedic injuries, while Reddington hospital deals with heart problems.

Flying Doctors provides its services to the public via contracts with the government, as well as working with private companies.

Helicopters are provided for corporate clients running large events, and wealthy families and individuals can set up a membership plan for private emergency healthcare.

Speaking recently at a forum in Lagos, organised by her firm to celebrate the unveiling of its new air ambulance interior in Lagos said Nigerians have a lot to gain if the private sector decide to contribute to the funding of the health sector.

She described the health care industry as a major sector that was capable of growing the economy of any nation, stating that citizens need to be healthy for them to work.

“Health care is not just investment in sick people; it is an investment in the economy because when people are ill, they can’t work. For every one dollar you invest in the health sector, you get two to ten dollars in terms of economic growth. And there is nothing we need more in Nigeria than economic growth. Our policymakers must start to see health care as an investment and not a cost.

“I believe air ambulance is even more important because we cannot continue to spend our entire health care budget on cement -building primary health care centres and more hospitals. Rather, we should invest in the people, doctors, their education and procuring of equipment.  The idea behind this initiative is to help patients get timely interventions regardless of where they live,” Brown said.

She urged the Federal Government to invest and promote the idea of air ambulance, noting that air ambulance provides answers to serious health issues.

“Air ambulances are used all over the world to transport patients from areas where they have overwhelmed the level of care to a more suitable level of care. The world’s first air ambulance was started in Australia in 1928, since then it has moved millions of patients from the Australian outback into urban centers.

This has saved the government of Australia billions of dollars, as there has been no need to construct a major hospital in every single town/city.

“However, the sophisticated air ambulance system ensures that every patient can reach the correct specialist hospital within the right timeframe. The Flying Doctors Nigeria air ambulance services has been providing this essential service throughout West and Central Africa, moving patients within Nigeria, within the region and internationally,” she added.

She said the service being rendered by her firm makes it easy for patients in Western and Central Africa to access specialist care within minutes, regardless of where they live.

The world’s first air ambulance was started in Australia in 1928, since then it has moved millions of patients from the Australian outback into urban centers.

This has saved the government of Australia billions of dollars, as there has been no need to construct a major hospital in every single town/city.

Hundreds of years following this, Flying Doctors Nigeria air ambulance service was established as the first indigenous and leading air ambulance service in West Africa. From inception to date, we have travelled across Africa and beyond, helping save hundreds of lives by providing timely access to definitive care for all patients.

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Wole Shadare