Manager of Euracare Wellness Centre, Dr. Busola Eso, is a qualified physician in Nigeria and Russia.

She received her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees from the Crimean Medical Institute, Simferopol, Russia.

She was subsequently admitted to practice medicine in Nigeria by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, after completing her foreign-trained doctor conversion requirements. Eso is a student fellow of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, and currently specialises in general medicine and preventative care.

In this interview, she speaks about her passion for the promotion of preventative care as the foundation for a healthy lifestyle.

 What informed your decision to go the medical route?

In secondary school, there was this fateful day we had a career fare and we were all asked to write what we would love to become in future. I wrote down with so much excitement that I wanted to be a doctor and my classmates made so much fun of me. The teacher even said with so much confidence that her fair advise would be that I went in the line of media , fashion or business. I felt disappointed. I do not like failure and I am very competitive. The mere thought that I could not stand the criticism was all the motivation I needed to become a successful doctor.

How can the healthcare sector in Nigeria be improved?

The country is blessed with great talents. We just need to adapt to a better maintenance culture. We are definitely moving in the right direction with more investments coming into the healthcare sector. It is key that government and private companies invest in healthcare as not everyone will be able to travel abroad for treatment.

 Tell us about preventive medicine and how it can affect every Nigerian?

Preventive medicine is the practice of promoting preventive healthcare to improve patient well-being. The goal is to ultimately prevent disease, disability, and death. Optimal health starts with the combination of physical, emotional and mental wellness. Unfortunately, overwhelming stress factors inhibit our ability to make healthier lifestyle choices. Nigeria is already a stressful place, so I advocate for at least once a year general body check

One of the things done in your centre is dialysis. Can you explain how it works?

Over 20 million Nigerians are living asymptomatic with kidney failure. So renal care has and would continue to be in high demand. Our highly-skilled and multilingual staff emphasizes compassion, comfort, and communication to ensure patients have all they need for the best possible experience. We take the experience very seriously as we help patients walk through the treatment process.

We prioritise standards and quality so we source the best medical professionals with the aim of modelling medical checks you would receive in the UK, USA or the Arabian countries.

 What has been your experience working as a general practitioner and now on the management side?

The management at Euracare has the same goal as the general practice and everyone at the organisation. We are very big on our patient experience, giving everyone premium quality medical service. It is just slightly different because I do not only have patients to think of but I also have over 23 staff to serve. We are always looking for new ways to use innovation to upscale healthcare in Nigeria.

How has Euracare supported your dreams?

Euracare has always and would always be an organisation that cares about its people and their growth. They invest so much in the skills of their staff and are continually helping people achieve greater heights career-wise. A lot of my colleagues who for one reason or the other have had to leave the organisation land global jobs in big cities like London or New York because it is the same standard of training. I have taken up managerial and leadership courses

How has your management career with Euracare been?

It is a different world from what I was trained for. I am learning fast about keeping medical professionals informed about healthcare administered at the clinic. Also, managing the clinic’s budget, billing system, and inventory overseeing the purchasing, maintenance, and repair of clinic equipment, are all different from what I was trained for. It has been very insightful and I am grateful for the opportunity. The most challenging part so far would be the revenue, budgeting and getting the business to be profitable.

What do you have to say to young ones in the medical field or anyone?

Sometimes the future changes quickly and completely, and we are left with only the choice of what to do next. We can choose to be afraid of it, to stand there trembling, not moving, assuming the worst that can happen or we step forward into the unknown and assume it will be brilliant. This is exactly what I’m doing at this phase of my life. I stepped out of my comfort zone of medicine into the managerial world which is not a familiar space for me and I have spent the better part of the last 8 months in the boardroom and I’m loving every bit of it.