LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
Market Doctors, a social impact-driven organization bringing accessible healthcare to Nigeria’s communities
Yetunde Ayo-Oyalowo is the ceo and founder of Market Doctors in Nigeria, a social impact organisation looking to bring affordable healthcare to people with minimal disturbance to their economic activities. She is a tenacious, self-driven medical doctor determined to ensure that location and financial capacity is not a barrier to access quality healthcare services. Market Doctors has a team of 18 permanent staff and 40 who are employed adhoc on a 2 year contract basis. Yetunde is determined to ensure 100 markets can have access to healthcare in the next 5 years.
Lioness Weekender spoke to Yetunde to learn more about her mission to work towards an accessible, sustainable and affordable preventive and curative primary healthcare in market places and communities in Nigeria.
What does your company do?
We are addressing barriers to access to healthcare which can be both physical and financial. The range of registration/consultation/laboratory/pharmacy fees can be daunting to a low-income earner whose source of income is daily. We take healthcare to them in the comfort of their homes, workplaces and markets, thereby reducing the cost of delivery such as journey time and waiting time with minimal disturbance to their economic activities.
What inspired you to start your company?
I was motivated to be an entrepreneur because I felt I could do more than what I was doing when I had a paid job. I also felt there were gaps in the healthcare system that needed solutions, and the solutions were doable. I decided to fill the gap because I knew I had the experience and what it took to solve the problem. Besides I knew if I had a case, I could get people to support and buy into the idea.
What makes your business, service or product special?
Our services are exceptional in the following ways:
Barrier of entry - We do not request registration cost before treatment
Location of care - We are located at the workplace or while shopping you can access healthcare.
Convenient and easy affordability - By reducing overhead of hospital buildings we operate from stalls and back packs.
Quality of care - Doctor available.
Payment flexibility - Pay daily as you use service
Fragmentation of care - One stop central point of care and test/consultation/drugs.
Waiting time - Minimal no journey time.
Home care services - We visit homes on request.
Convenience - Be at work, receive healthcare in the same location.
Referral Services to bigger health facilities.
Tell us a little about your team
Yetunde Ayo-Oyalowo (myself) - CEO and responsible for coordinating all activities and providing strategic direction
Folashade Ogunmola - Head of Operations responsible for coordinating recruitments, clinic and outreaches operations
Patience Attah - Community Manager, responsible for managing patients and subscriber issues
Demola Adeleke - Accounts and Finance, responsible for ensuring payments are up to date and tracks how financially healthy we are.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
My entrepreneurial journey started way back because I have always wanted to be in control of my time which medicine would not give me the opportunity to achieve. I wanted the flexibility of work. Also, while I was in school, I engaged in some selling activities although my parents were academicians. My grandparents, especially from my maternal side, were entrepreneurs who engaged in buying and selling of goods and services. Thus, being an entrepreneur has always been part of my family.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
I hope to have franchises in every state in Nigeria. We will have cemented partnerships with government on achieving universal health coverage. I will have a digital community health worker academy where I can train prospective health workers as the last milers. Our model will be used by other African countries to increase health coverage.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
The most rewarding thing as an entrepreneur is that you get to think of solutions to help the challenges faced by people in everyday life, and as a result create an enabling environment to mentor people while creating employment opportunities for people. Furthermore, you see them grow over the years.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
My advice is to encourage all women out there to know that there are enough opportunities for them if they are thinking of doing something that can enact a change in the world or can make the world better for other people. When you start, you may think you don't have so much. But look within you and you will see all the resources, even resources online that can help you start from somewhere. Start from where you are and you will be surprised how far you can go.
To find out more about the work of Market Doctors, contact Yetunde Ayo-Oyalowo via email: preventivehc@ymail.com or visit the company website and social media platforms:
