By Balogun Kamilu Lekan
Biography
Olamide Brown, née Orekunrin, is an entrepreneur, a medical doctor, a trainee pilot, and the founder of Flying Doctors, West Africa’s first indigenous air ambulance service.
Flying Doctors Healthcare Group is involved in air ambulance services, healthcare consulting, hospital/clinic construction, diagnostics and equipment, health facility management, and pharmaceutical retail.
Education
Dr. Ola Brown studied medicine at Hull York Medical School. She worked in acute medicine in the United Kingdom after graduation. She received a Japanese MEXT scholarship, allowing her to continue her studies in Tokyo through a fellowship focused on lab-based research with induced pluripotent stem cells.
She also holds an economic policymaking certificate from IE Business School in Spain. Additionally, she has a certificate in accounting from the University of Michigan in the United States.
Career
Dr. Orekunrin began her career with the National Health Service in the United Kingdom before moving to Nigeria to launch her company, Flying Doctors Ltd. Unfortunately, her business venture was born from tragedy.
Dr. Orekunrin’s sickle cell anaemia-afflicted sister became very ill while on vacation in Nigeria. The local hospital was ill-equipped to handle the illness’s complications, and there was no air ambulance to transport her to a different hospital. Her sister died there, not because her condition was unmanageable, but because she lacked access to adequate medical care. The death of her sister prompted Dr Orekunrin to establish her company.
After losing her sister in tough circumstances, Brown founded the Flying Doctors in Lagos, Nigeria. The organization’s goal is to enhance medical care in Nigeria. Additionally, it covers pharmaceutical retail, the construction of hospitals and clinics, diagnostics and equipment, and the management of healthcare facilities.
It collaborates with Koniku, a biotechnology company and medicine manufacturer; a network of pharmacies; a diagnostics company; and a large logistics company that transports commodities, including pharmaceuticals, throughout West Africa.
Brown and her team devised a COVID-19 mobile testing booth during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, which eliminates the need for PPE by creating a barrier between the patient and any possibly infected individuals.
In addition to her work at Flying Doctors, Brown, Olabode Agusto, and Abasiama Idaresit manage Greentree Investment Company, an early-stage venture capital firm that finances African technology start-ups. Paystack, Precurio, Big Cabal Media, and an $80 million portfolio are some of the investments.
Aside from all these, Dr Brown is also a renowned speaker who has had the priviledge of speaking in several top events across the world, including the TED Global Conference, the World Economic Forum, the European Union, the Swiss Economic Forum, the UN, the World Bank, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge University, and the Aspen Ideas Festival.
Marriage
Dr Ola Brown is married to David Brown.
Net worth
NewsWireNgr cannot independently verify Dr Beown’s net worth
Achievements
Awards and recognition include:
- World Economic Forum (WEF) Young Global Leader
- Forbes 20 Young Power Women In Africa
- Forbes Africa’s 30 Under 30
- YWomen – YNaija 100 Most Influential Women in Nigeria
- Silverbird Group Extraordinary Business Achievement Award,
- YNaija Business Power List
- She also receives one of Nigeria’s national honours, Member of the Order of the Federal Republic.
Dr. Ola is an American College of Emergency Physicians member and was among the 2013 Young Global leaders listed by the World Economic Forum.
She has also written several books, including Fixing Healthcare in Nigeria, a Guide to Public Healthcare Policy, Pre-Hospital Care for Africa, and EMQs in Paediatrics.
She has also written some articles published on several top media authorities like The New York Times, The Niger Delta Medical Journal, The Journal of Emergency Medical Services, the British Medical Journal, and The Huffington Post.
Controversy
In 2018, Dr Brown and Flying Doctors were sued by the family of a late patient, Nabil Hanga who died aboard in an air ambulance.
The family demanded a sum of N1.1 billion from Dr Brown and Flying Doctors accusing them of letting their family member die out of negligence.
The suit was, however, later withdrawn by the family.
Disclaimer
The information in this article was curated from online sources. NewsWireNGR or its editorial team cannot independently verify all details.
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