History of ola olu hospital (6)

The Partnership Experiment

From an early stage I did not favour a one-man practice. A solo practice did not allow for illness, for a holiday or for other unexpected eventualities. By contrast, in a good group practice, much more can be done than in a one–man show. The work can also be better done. The adage "Two heads are better than one" is particularly true in this context. When a professional works as a partner rather than as an employee, there tends to be a greater feeling of belonging and personal involvement.

Examples of unhappy experiences in a partnership arrangement abound. Ideally, certain ingredients are required in a successful professional partnership.

There is need for similarity and agreement over certain fundamental issues. Attitude to major issues of life should be similar. Personal philosophy and outlook on life ought to be similar. Ideals and goals have to be alike. There should be evident sense of mission. Attitude to money must be wholesome. In my opinion and experience, genuine share in the same religious faith can be a most effective bond. This is not to say that partners must behave and react in exactly the same way in every situation. There will be differences but there is need for agreement over the fundamentals. To make a success of a partnership arrangement, there must be tolerance on the part of all the parties concerned. There must be patience.

A partnership in which there is frequent heated argument and wrangling is likely to generate discontentment and is not likely to be a success. Furthermore there must be ardent desire on the part of all the members to make a success of the arrangement. Backbiting and tale telling undermine a partnership arrangement.

Our own establishment has been blessed with men of integrity and of sound character who have made our partnership experiment a happy experience.
In July 1971, Dr Sunday Oyinloye joined the practice. This development increased the scope of our work. This enabled us to explore new dimensions to the work. Major surgery was undertaken in our Nursing Home. Furthermore it eased the running of our Clinics at the Jebba Paper mills. We have worked together all along in a most congenial manner. In December 1971, his wife, a nurse, joined our nursing team. Her contribution went a long way to assist in the take off of our expansion programme.

Permanent premises

Soon after the practice commenced we recognised the need to procure land and erect premises of our own. The initial arrangement of running our outpatient clinic in one rented premises and doing our admissions in some other rented premises was unsatisfactory and was conceived as a temporary innovation.

In 1970, with the aid of my brother-in-law, Mr Samuel Adedayo who had helped us in several other ways and through the help of a senior friend, Alhaji Baba Oro we were able to secure the piece of land on which Ola-Olu Hospital is erected today. The story of the search for suitable land and the subsequent transactions with the traditional landowners is a long one. Late Baba Ayipo's family was very considerate in the transactions. It was as if the piece of land was reserved for us!

"This is the Lord's doing and is precious in our eyes" . The flexibility and adaptability of the initial design has enabled us later to carry out three expansion programmes without distorting the original design and without any demolition. Subsequent new blocks fitted into the initial design almost perfectly. The construction of the new premises was a big challenge. It taxed our endurance. With no previous building experience, we made a few mistakes. I had to be personally involved in the supervision of the construction. Later the planting of the shrubs and flowers also had to be personally undertaken. These ornamental plants have contributed in a large measure to make our Hospital look more like a Recreation Centre and less like a home for the sick. This has helped the morale of our patients. The first batch of shrubs and ornamental plants were donated by a friend and brother-in-law, Dr Ayo Abifarin of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Ibadan.

The new building consisted of wards with proper hospital beds, an equipped Laboratory, Xray Unit, a Labour Room, an Operating Theatre and a house for the relatives of patients that came from outside llorin. The first phase of the building was done by the staff of P. B. Olatunde & Co. Mr Olatunde, another brother -in-law donated all the asbestos roofing sheets used in the first building phase.