History of ola olu hospital (2)

Name

Several names came to my mind during the search for the name for the new medical institution. I thought of some names that would have ancestoral significance with my people. I considered at one stage naming it after my father who with great wisdom and thoughtfulness had given sound counsel all along. It was however finally decided that it should bear its present name. Ola-Olu, a short form for Ola Oluwa meaning "The Lord's honour". Since we arrived at that name we have endeavoured, however imperfectly, to work in the institution to the Lord's honour. My wife chose pink, her favourite colour, for the uniform to be used by the ward assistants to be employed. This category of staff use pink uniforms till this day.

Finance was our greatest initial problem. I had only two hundred and four pounds in my account for the take off. We needed to find and pay for a clinic and residential accommodation. We required furniture for both. The clinic would have some drugs and dressings to merit being called a clinic. In addition some office stationeries were necessary. There was my faithful peugeot 404 to maintain and run. Yet there was an outstanding debt on my car loan which had to be offset monthly. All regular income and allowances had ceased. All that was available to mend these yawning financial gaps was a paltry sum of two hundred and four pounds. Even though I believed the Lord would sustain, I had genuine fears. There were nights when it was difficult to sleep well.

Was I not making a costly mistake? I querried myself ! At that time there were few precedents from the Northern part of the country to benefit from. There were already many private clinics in the South. In the North, there was the well established Dr Mama's Lafiya Clinic in Kaduna. Dr. Ahmed's clinic in Kano and Dr. Obe's in Oturkpo were young establishments. Dr. Elukpo had also just started his own struggle in Ankuri Clinic in llorin in September 1968. They were trying days.

With resolute will I bought what scanty clinic materials and equipment I could afford. This included an examination couch made by a local carpenter, a diagnostic set and a small typewriter. I purchased a packet each of aspirin, chloro-quin, tetracycline, folic acid and iron tablets. I also procured two syringes and needles and a few vials of Procaine Penicillin and Chloroquin injection. Mr. Oyabambi, a member of my church in Kaduna and the then manager of C.S.S. Bookshop in Kaduna supplied useful office stationeries like pins, a stapling machine, a paper punch, rubber bands, invoice and receipt books. Groups in my church gave us their best wishes and also two bibles (one for me and the other for my wife.) Armed with these items I loaded my car for the shift to llorin. The examination couch, a seven feet long contraption, was fixed on the roof rack of my Peugeot 404 which proved a faithful companion for eight years.

Hard Times

I arrived with a young family in llorin in the last week of June 1969. My brother-in-law, Mr Samuel O. Adedayo had rented a shop from Alhaji Oseni Olarewaju on 17 Bussa Road for us. He had also arranged for a two bedroom apartment to be rented from Mr J. J. Akinrinade on 3 Offa Road. The latter accommodation was to be used as our residence. Our first few nights in 3 Offa Road confirmed our earlier expectation that hard times were ahead. In Kaduna we had lived in a large six bedroom building surrounded by a beautiful orchard. The house was located in a pleasant area of the town next door to the Capital Territory School . We arrived in 3 Offa Road with no furniture of our own!

We used a traditional straw mat spread out on the bare cement floor as our bed for several days. The family of Mr Akinrinmade was very good to us. We needed support and understanding and we got it. No 3 Offa Road was our home for almost six years during which time our family grew by two. Slowly we were outgrowing the two bedrooms available. With three children and two house helps and frequent visitors from my hometown, we were packed tight most of the time in the apartment. For almost six years we lived like this. We had developed such a cordial relationship with the Akinrinmades that we missed them much when we moved out to our own house.

The shop on 17 Bussa Road was a twelve feet by twenty-four feet room with two extra-large doors. It was partitioned into three cubicles for us by Mr Afolayan our carpenter and a member of the First Baptist Church llorin. One cubicle was used as waiting and registration room. A clerk's table and some benches were installed there. The middle cubicle was my consulting room. The third we used as treatment and injection room.

To begin with, we could not afford the salary of a clerk. During the morning clinics, I played the multiple role of clerk, doctor and nurse. I would personally register a patient, then take him over to the consulting room for examination and prescriptions. Finally the patient would then be taken to the treatment room where I would personally give out his medicines including injections if indicated. For instrument steriliser we initially improvised with an ordinary bucket into which we inserted an electric heater. This heated up and boiled our syringes and instruments. Later we were able to purchase a proper instrument steriliser. My wife, a school teacher, was in school in the mornings to earn some money to keep the home going. In the evenings she metamorphosed into my clerk in the clinic! As time went on, we took on a Grade II midwife, late Mrs Olorisade to take charge of the treatment room.