Interview Special With Dr Taiwo Olatunji

Who is Taiwo Olatunji?

I consider myself a dynamic individual who is passionate about providing solutions to challenging problems and taking care of others. As one with an unusual ability to see beyond the ordinary and forge meaningful relationships with individuals from all aspects of society

How were your upbringing and educational background?

My parents married in England and raised four children. I am the youngest of four. I attended Government College, Eric-More, Lagos, sat for my GCE a year early and re-joined my family in London aged 15 where I completed secondary school, college and University. I have a first degree in Biochemistry followed by a second degree in Medicine and a specialisation in General Practice.

I have been a doctor for over 10 years. Previously worked as a research scientist in Oncology and later worked in the pharmaceutical industry initially with Merck Sharp and Dohme then later for AstraZeneca.

How was the BHIS idea birthed?

It was a natural evolution following the founding of the first Afro-centric Medical Concierge company in the UK called MHF Medical Concierge. It’s a private healthcare company that looks after all health and related affairs of high net-worth individuals, predominantly Africans anywhere they need healthcare in the world.

BHIS was born following the challenge a client faced in accessing information about the health status of his daughter who was unwell whilst in boarding school. The families resident in Nigeria were unable to speak to a doctor or nurse at will to brief them about their child’s illness.

Many parents whose children study abroad assume the National Health Service (NHS) will provide care when needed, after all the UK is famed for its high standard of healthcare. Unfortunately whilst this is largely true, what many fail to understand is that care is not instant and waiting times to access the free NHS service are increasingly longer.

Take, for example, the waiting time to see a GP in most parts of the country for a routine appointment is two-week and to see a specialist three to four months with some specialities taking up to 14 months to see someone.

The same applies to imaging and even blood tests. More notably is that parents abroad are not afforded instant contact with a doctor when their child is unwell whether mildly unwell or seriously ill needing admission.

The NHS makes no provision for a personal service regardless of means or status. It is near enough impossible for a concerned parent whether abroad or local to be granted an audience with a GP or hospital consultant at the parent’s will.

An appointment may be had in the best of scenarios, often needing the intervention of secretaries or school nurses and at best a wait of days to weeks to arrange such an important discussion.

The truth is if doctors spent their precious time speaking to concerned parents, there will be little time left to do much else hence secretaries protect this precious time so that patient consultations can occur undisturbed.

This is at the expense of anxious parents who reside abroad. MHF stepped in for this particular client and was able to have a doctor-to-doctor conversation with the GP and then a hospital consultant on behalf of the family back home then related the information and answered all queries having full knowledge of the case and test results.

Understanding the cultural and personal expectations of parents abroad allows us to be able to fill this unmet need with immense satisfaction from parents. The service caters for students from primary school to postgraduate students in University.

What are the predominant challenges faced by Nigerian students in the UK and other European countries when trying to access healthcare?

Most International students including Nigerian students are new to the NHS and unaware of accessing healthcare including waiting times. To complicate things further most international students are used to a walk-in private health service back home where a doctor’s appointment can be had either by calling the doctor directly or turning up in his clinic.

Most enjoy a personalised service that does not exist in the NHS in the UK. This often leads to students not reporting symptoms or at best reporting them late and often first to friends and family who are often abroad and unable to facilitate urgent care.

In addition, in the absence of a health advocate, it is not uncommon that when students seek private healthcare on their own, they end up paying for unnecessary consultations, tests and specialist fees.

Another common challenge is the lack of knowledge about patient rights to their medical notes including test results. Although challenging to access due to the remote location of parents, students can grant parents access (automatic if less than 16 yrs old).

BHIS solves all these challenges by creating the first-ever bespoke healthcare service for international students which aims to allay parent anxieties by providing a seamless line of communication between parents and their child’s medical team. Using technology, this is round-the-clock access and the ability to share medical notes that can be accessed remotely from anywhere.

Is BHIS only for students in the UK alone?

Yes. We take on students studying in the UK only

How affordable is the service?

It is comparatively very affordable. Its annual subscription ranges from £1200 to £1500 per year for each child. There are family and renewal discounts also available. Subscriptions are renewable at the final expiration month.

Are there any partnerships between BHIS and other known health insurance services and HMOs for international students, if yes, how does it work?

There are ongoing discussions with the main UK health insurance providers but currently non-available available.

How does one subscribe to the BHIS services?

It is very easy. Just fill in a membership form online (www.mhf.healthcare/students) and then an appointment is made to discuss your application and subsequent steps.

How do you see the BHIS impacting the Nigerian health system?

We complement existing health providers in Nigeria by working with leading private health providers to ensure continuity of care for students when they return home.

We are also embarking on a medical exchange program which seeks to share best medical practices between the UK and Nigeria. We will be sharing more information about this collaborative effort in due course.

What differentiates BHIS from other digital healthcare services currently at Nigerians’ disposal?

We are the only UK health provider seeking to provide a bespoke health solution concerning international student healthcare. The organisation leverages the fact that it has been providing the highest level of personalised healthcare (Concierge medicine) to high net worth ideals for nearly a decade.

We take pride in being the sole provider of healthcare specifically for students in our purpose-built facility in Central London with onsite pathology testing, imaging, GP and specialist clinics. And you are best assured of our utmost effectiveness, professionalism, and confidentiality

As a first-of-its-kind solution for Nigerians, what are your fears and projections in terms of competition and duplications?

We expect duplication and we welcome it. There are too few providers of healthcare from an African background who own their facilities in the UK and participate in this niche health space.

More providers like MHF are needed to provide the highest level of care to those who call the UK their second home or visit as a medical tourist. However, we would always remain the pacesetter.