Dr. Ola Orekunrin is a qualified medical Doctor, Entrepreneur, Innovator and Helicopter pilot. Her achievements are quite remarkable, notably because she started West Africa’s first air ambulance service.
Ola Orekunrin was born in London, United Kingdom in 1986 to Nigerian parents, who hail from Ilawe-Ekiti. Orekunrin grew up in a foster home along with her sister. Her foster parents lived in Lowestoft, a small seaside town in the southeastern part of England.
Dr. Orekunrin’s growth could be described as rapid because at the age of 15, she gained admission to study medicine at the University of York, United Kingdom. During her days in the university, she supported herself through school as she worked as a model and at retail stores. Years later, she graduated at the age of 21, and became one of the youngest medical doctors in the United Kingdom.
After her graduation, Orekunrin published her first book and was a regular contributor to the British Medical Journal. She was soon rewarded by the Japanese government with a scholarship that enabled her further her studies in the Asian country. While in Japan, she conducted research in the field of regenerative medicine at the Jikei University Hospital.
Dr. Orekunrin is obviously very interested in learning a lot, as she did not just stop at her degree from the University of York. She is currently studying at the University of London for a master’s degree in finance and economic policy. Dr. Ola Orekunrin also has a certificate in economic policymaking from IE business school, Spain and a certificate in accounting for decision making from the University of Michigan, in the United States.
However, tragedy stuck when Dr. Orekunrin and her sister paid a visit to her family in Nigeria. Dr. Ola’s sister suffered from sickle cell anaemia and she needed urgent medical attention. She was taken to local hospitals around but none was able to manage her condition. The nearest hospital that had the necessary medicines to save her sister’s life was very far, and getting there would only be possible with the help of an air ambulance. The search for an air ambulance even took Dr. Orekunrin and the rest of her family to nearby West African countries like Ghana, Cameroon and Sierra Leone. The nearest air ambulance they could find was in South Africa, which was 5 hours away and by the time the air ambulance was ready to transport her sister, the younger Orekunrin was already dead.
After her sister’s death, she saved up her 9 months’ salary, sold off some properties, quit her job and relocated to Nigeria. During that time, she began learning about air evacuation procedures in developing countries like Libya, Kenya, India and South Africa. She also trained to be a helicopter pilot, adding flying to her long-term passion of practicing as a medical doctor.
In 2007, Dr. Orekunrin founded Flying Doctors Nigeria Ltd, the first air ambulance service in the West African region. The aim of Flying Doctors Nigeria Ltd, was to provide urgent medical treatment to injured or sick patients in Nigeria and the rest of West Africa. Flying Doctors Nigeria Ltd.’s services are available around the clock, to help patients get to the right medical facilities as fast as possible.
When she kick-started this venture, she faced a lot of challenges. Speaking of Flying Doctors’ early days, Dr. Ola Orekunrin said “When I arrived in Nigeria, I decided to start an air ambulance, not just a specialist pediatric air ambulance that would cover Nigeria and West Africa. It took a huge amount of work to get started with a lot of mistakes and a lot of completely dead ends.”
These challenges were not enough to stop the determined Ola Orekunrin from achieving the goals she had already set. Flying Doctors Nigeria Ltd -which is based in Lagos, already has over 20 aircrafts used for different types of medical evacuations. It also employs over 30 staff trained to handle many different medical emergencies. Since its establishment, Flying Doctors has saved hundreds of lives, which is its main aim. Flying Doctors has also earned plaudits from other countries outside West Africa, because of its rapid responses to emergencies outside the region.
The Flying Doctors, however, is not Dr. Ola Orekunrin’s only venture. Along with Olabode Agusto and Abasiama Idaresit, she runs an early-stage venture capital firm named Greentree Investment Company, which provides capital for African start-ups to invest. With a portfolio of about USD 80 million, Greentree Investment Company has made investments in Paystack, Precurio and Big Cabal Mediain, among others.
Dr. Ola Orekunrin founded The Flying Doctors Healthcare Investment Company (FDHIC), in 2019. Apart from its air ambulance services, this company also offers services in consulting/healthcare technology, hospital/clinic constructions, diagnostics and equipment’s, health facility management and pharmaceutical retails. When the COVID-19 pandemic reached its peak in Nigeria, FDHIC launched a testing booth to increase the COVID-19 testing rate in the country.
Orekunrin is an editor for the International Journal of Emergency Services, and she is known to have published three books: EMQ’s in Pediatrics, Pre-Hospital Care for Africa and Fixing Healthcare in Nigeria; and A Guide to Public Healthcare Policy. She has also written articles for the British Medical Journal, the Journal of Emergency Medical Services, the Niger Delta Medical Journal, The New York Times and The Huffington Post.
Some of her awards and recognitions include:
• World Economic Forum (WEF) Young Global Leader.
• Forbes 20 Young Power Women in Africa 2013.
• Forbes Africa’s 30 under 30 for 2015.
• YWomen – YNaija 100 Most Influential Women in Nigeria 2015.
• Silverbird Group Extraordinary Business Achievement Award, 2018 in Lagos, the youngest person ever to win this award.
• YNaija Business Power List 2020
