Successful Nigerian-British medical doctor, Taiwo Olatunji’s highly inspiring story teaches one or two lessons. One of which is this. Do not give up on your dreams as it’s never too late to start. Olatunji was already doing well, making his way up the corporate ladder until one day, he decided to return to his first love, the medical profession. He went back to university many years after obtaining his first Degree and the rest as they say, is history. EduTimes Africa met and had a chat with the London based doctor.
Taiwo Olatunji got an early introduction to Medicine when he became the Unit Leader for the Nigerian Red Cross while still in Secondary School. The thought of becoming a doctor instantly appealed to him but he wouldn’t come to the realisation that it was actually a calling until much later in life. Despite the undeniable appeal, he soon found himself taking a detour, studying biochemistry for his first Degree before securing highly lucrative jobs in the pharmaceutical industry. At different times Olatunji worked for two of the world’s largest and most acclaimed pharmaceutical companies, Astrazeneca and Merck Sharp and Dohme. But like a bolt, the pull to practice medicine returned, and this time, refused to subside. At the relatively mature age of 28 and after spending several years successfully climbing up the corporate ladder, Taiwo Olatunji returned to university and this time, he studied his beloved medicine. As the saying goes, ‘what will be, will be’. Graduating from Keele University in the United Kingdom with his Degree in Medicine, he did his compulsory medical training apprenticeship before beginning his career as a medical practitioner in earnest.
Life for Dr Olatunji and his siblings began in the United Kingdom where his parents were living.
“So my parents got married in the UK. They moved here in the early 1960s and consequently got married. They gave birth to four kids. The eldest being a daughter, followed by a son and then us twins. And this was the time when Nigerians would stay in the UK, read, stay for a short period and then return home. My parents did same and took everyone back home to Nigeria. But after a few years, my dad returned to London while we stayed in Nigeria. I did my early years schooling in Nigeria and attended Premiere Day, Nursery and Primary school and from there got admission into Federal Government College, Eric Moore for secondary school. I took my WAEC very early, while still in SS One and then left for the UK. I concluded my secondary school education at a Sixth Form College where I took my A Levels before then going to university.”
Drawn to the sciences upon graduation, Olatunji embarked on a PhD in cancer research before deciding to venture into sales and marketing in the pharmaceutical industry.
As if in preparation or as a divine pointer to his future career, Olatunji, along with his siblings and parents grew up in the Idiaraba part of Lagos, an area made famous by the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), which is located there. And interestingly, he ascribes his proficiency in the Yoruba language till date, to the fact that he spent his formative years on mainland Lagos, where a good command of his native tongue was necessary for him to communicate with the ordinary man on the streets.
“I actually grew up on the mainland. And as you know, a lot of people speak Yoruba out there and so I couldn’t hide behind speaking English. And even though our parents spoke to us in English, we spoke Yoruba outside. I’m actually originally from Ibadan. My mum is from Kwara while my dad is from Ibadan. And in my early years, I spent a lot of time going between Ibadan and Kwara. And even though I don’t go to Kwara so much now, I still visit Ibadan quite regularly, whenever I’m back home. I have strong ties with Ibadan as I have lots of cousins and family who still live there.”
After spending several years working in the famous Harley Street in London, renowned the world over as a centre for excellence concerning private medical service, Dr Olatunji decided it was time to branch out and establish his own practice. Years of attending to members of royal families and to the world’s most affluent – who unsurprisingly demand nothing but the best – had honed his skills and further developed a penchant for excellence. In the year 2014, MHF Medical Concierge was born and in April 2022 it moved its own purpose built, fully equipped facility in central London.
“We have a purpose-built health facility that allows blood testing, imaging and doctor consultations including specialist consultants, aesthetic and minor surgery clinics and all take place under one roof. Based in central London, we run our own lab tests and are proud to be the first Nigerian-owned multi-specialty clinic of this size in central London.”
Equipment on site include: Ultrasound scan, ECG, Spirometry, Vascular (ABPI) measurement, Pathology testing and Aesthetic treatments including fillers, microneedling and others. Including hair transplant.
MHF Medical Concierge, renowned for its innovations in the medical industry is further celebrated for its Bespoke Healthcare for International Students (BHIS), a unique service for African students in the UK.
Speaking to this distinctive service, Dr Olatunji made this revelation. “Parents are thrilled such a service exists and have encouraged us to add more services to the existing service. We started with Nigerian International students and are pleased to announce that we will be offering a similar service in South Africa, Ghana, Egypt and Zimbabwe by the end of this year.”
There appears to be no stopping this proud African, who believes his fellow Africans deserve nothing but the best. As for his flourishing career as a medical practitioner after his earlier detour, all one can say is, ‘What will be, will be’. And we thank God for that.
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Dr Taiwo Olatunji is an experienced British trained General Physician with experience in Acute Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and General Surgery including ENT. He brings a wealth of experience from previous roles in Business and NHS practice. He is the founder of MHF Medical Concierge, the first Afro-centric bespoke private healthcare service providing unrivaled client experience and solution-driven medical practice. mhf.healthcare/student admin@mhf.healthcare +44 (0)203 096 0019
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.