Yetunde Ayo-Oyalowo is Founder & CEO, Market Doctors – the first retail and mobile Clinic in Nigeria with a vision of bringing healthcare to the doorstep of Nigerians without disturbing their normal economic, religious, educational and social activities, using mobile clinics and outreaches.
Her exceptional outreach extends to marketplaces! When asked why she has taken on such an unusual task with verve, Yetunde responds:
Why do I do what I do?
People often ask me this, and honestly, there are many reasons. But my name, my story, holds the answer. I lost my grandmother to something as preventable as diarrhea because she couldn’t access quick, affordable medical care. I’ve seen too many patients discharged against medical advice—simply because they couldn’t afford treatment.
Caring for those at the bottom of the pyramid and in the informal sector isn’t easy, especially in a country where less than 5% of the budget goes to healthcare. These people often live on daily income, with limited access to technology, and now, with rising transportation and food costs, many face impossible choices: healthcare or survival.
Some have even resigned themselves to fate, believing that if it’s their destiny to die, so be it, as they simply cannot afford quality care.
That’s where we come in. We deliver healthcare directly to them, in their communities, eliminating hidden costs like transportation and loss of income. It’s tough work, but it’s necessary.
Says Yetunde: “Everyone deserves access to quality healthcare no matter where they live and we are doing our best to make that happen”.
