Tell us about yourself
I am the baby of the family. I am the last born of 5 children. I have a pet that I absolutely love, her name is Kitoko. I enjoy taking long walks with her and cuddling with her while we watch “The River” on Showmax.
I love perfume and handbags, these two things are the easiest way to spoil me! I’m an introvert and I’m very very shy. That’s me in a few sentences.
What did it feel like being a part of one of the most sought-after lists (Forbes 30 under 30)?
Mind blowing, Unbelievable, Humbling, Life Changing and Transformational! I can confidently say that there is nothing more humbling than being awarded for doing something that you just genuinely love and enjoy. It is not a feeling of the past. It is with me everyday. Every morning I wake up, look at the award hanging on my wall and I’m astounded at how quickly things have changed for me.
Wow, it must have been such a thrilling moment for you! Being Nambian, would you say it had a huge part to play in your current position?
Definitely. Forbes is one of the largest brands in the world. I have received invitations to speak around the world because I was listed as Forbes 30 under 30. There are countless opportunities that have been presented to me because someone read about my story in the magazine etc. I cannot describe what it has done for me, but I will forever be grateful.
Women now play a major role in the healthcare sector, we’re speaking Late Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh who is a Nigerian physician and so much more, do you think that as women we still have major roles to play and how can we have a major inclusion in a sector that has been previously dominated by men?
The role women have to play is larger than ever before! We do this by taking up space! As cliche as that sounds, it is true. We can no longer just sit back and expect that the world runs itself.
We as women particularly women in health have a crucial role to play in ensuring that we break the previous moulds and standards of success in our various fields and what these were represented to be. It is important that we remember that we are not and have never been defined by our gender but rather by what boils inside each of us.
What are the major challenges you’ve faced being a medical doctor in Africa?
ACCESSIBILITY! My goal as a health advocate is and has always been simple; Quality Healthcare for all irrespective of socioeconomic status! To achieve this, we need to make quality health accessible to the masses. Any Healthcare that is not accessible to the masses becomes poor Healthcare that is an insult to the basic human rights we ought to live by.
We have the healthcare workers that are passionate about change. With the right policy makers and governance in place, we can change the African face of healthcare for the better! There is so much technology that underlies this change. When my team and i started giving free medical advice through social media and texts etc, it was initially frowned on. Because most people only know conventional medicine. How can you practice conventional medicine in a world that is nothing close to conventional? Having recently attended the GitexHealthcare Conference in Dubai as a speaker, I must say, Africa’s biggest healthcare issues are accessibility and technology.
With technology, it is simple. We have the minds, we have the Innovators, but the laws and policies in place make it difficult to implement anything that can bring true and honest change. Until we change these, we will forever be stuck in the past.
But really, we are currently facing a pandemic of African doctors fleeing to other parts of the world, what is your take on this?
African doctors are mostly overworked and underpaid. This morning I was chatting to my colleagues and it was sad to hear about our colleagues in various African countries that don’t even get paid half of what we get. Yet they do the same job.
Healthcare workers are constantly putting their lives at risk. Every single day! I got Covid about 4 times! I have been seriously ill to the point of admission simply from infections contracted from patients. We put our lives at risk everyday, yet in most African countries, the salaries are mediocre.
In instances like that, do we really blame the healthcare workers? Most of them want to see a better African Healthcare System but they have their own families too. If those families are constantly neglected, it makes it difficult not to want to seek greener pastures.
So, when you’re not helping save lives or public speaking or bagging major awards, what do you do?
Poetry. Writing poetry. When I’m stressed I write poetry. When I’m sad, I write poetry. When I’m happy, I write poetry. When I’m excited, I write poetry. It is my escape. I have hundreds of unreleased poems. It’s my little sacred place. A place where I don’t have to explain myself constantly. I definitely see myself saying my vows at my wedding using a poem,Hahhahaha.
