Faces of the New Africa: Ola Orekunrin—Founder Flying Doctors

Africa is rising, not just with its growing democratic credentials, a budding middle class with spending power and a good performing economies but also with its rising new generation of entrepreneurs. Across the continent and beyond, there are an increasing number of young people fuelled by the sheer passion and desire to turn Africa’s gloom into bloom. Faced with scanty resources but never giving up, these young people dip deep into their bank of wits to pull out ideas that are touching and transforming lives. The bubbly spirit of entrepreneurship cuts across industries such as entertainment, fashion, media, healthcare, energy, ICT and finance, to name but a few:

Ola Orekunrin—Founder Flying Doctors

Healthcare

If you don’t have an efficient ambulance service, how do you expect a functional air emergency medical service? Well, that is one challenge that Dr Ola Orekunrin at 24 years conquered albeit under tragic circumstances.

Ola was a medical student in the UK when her younger sister fell seriously sick while in Nigeria. The 12-year old sickle cell anemia sufferer needed urgent care but the nearest hospital couldn’t deal with her condition. With the nearest emergency airlift medical service provider in South Africa, the girl died.

“It was really a devastating time for me and I started thinking about whether I should be in England talking about healthcare in Africa, or I should be in Africa dealing with healthcare and trying to do something about it,” Ola the 28-year old told CNN.

Currently in its fourth year, the Lagos-based company has so far airlifted about 500 patients, using a fleet of planes and helicopters to rapidly move injured workers and critically ill people from remote areas to hospitals.

Source: ameyawdebrah.com