Omotosho: Digging gold
caring for people
By YETUNDE OLADEINDE
Monday, May 1, 2006
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•Omotosho
Photo: The Sun News Publishing |
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Oluremi Omotosho has carved a niche for herself making a
living by taking care of others. Before she started this business,
Omotosho worked at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH)
for 33 years and retired as chief nursing officer in charge
of surgical specialties. This included burns, orthopedic,
children’s cases and paediatrics.
Interestingly, she tells you that the caring for people started
as a hobby and then it became a profession and now she is
reaping a fortune doing what she loves doing.
" I went to Reagan Memorial High School and that was
where I developed some of these interests. After this, I became
the president of the old girls association for 10 years and
this was where my passion for helping others really started.
I have been very active in different spheres of life, especially
the educational sector."
Critical Care Consult
I started this outfit after I retired from LUTH after over
three decades in the nursing profession. Here, we support
people at home like the elderly, widows and widowers, who
are in need of company. Our targets also include the sick
and lonely.
Usually, we send qualified nurses to their homes to attend
to them. The nurses working with me must be recommended by
the Midwifery Council to ensure that they are practising professionals.
Some have helped to take some of our clients overseas. For
example, the person involved could be someone who needs to
go and join their children, parents or family members who
are residents abroad.
Making money from house chores
We also have caregivers who are not nurses. This group helps
people to take care of the homes and urgent needs. We help
to wash clothes, sweep and cook for people who are very busy
attending to their studies, work or business.
Strategies
The work therefore varies from time to time and it actually
depends on the requirements of our clients. But the most important
thing is to get the best options for them. For instance, if
we have a male client then we make sure that we give him a
male nurse except the client requires something different.
We have been able to reach out to our many clients with our
fliers and through the e-mail.
Staff strength
At the moment, I have eight specialists that work with the
team. I also have a paediatric nurse taking cases relating
to children. There are times when it is a complicated case
and so we make use of specialists who can best handle the
situation.
Achievements
Since I retired six years ago, we have touched so many lives.
We have gone out of our way to assist different groups of
people in a unique way. We have some clients after being discharged
they want a home environment and we provide this for them.
We have caregivers who take them out and return home from
visits or hospital appointments.
Apart from the adhoc arrangements we have, we also have regular
clients in Lagos, Ibadan and Maiduguri. In addition, this
has taken me to different parts of the world. I have been
to countries like South Africa, Kenya, Johannesburg and Liberia.
Challenges
There was a patient who agreed that the caregiver would return
to Nigeria immediately they got there. But when they got there,
he realised that things were not in place and he wanted the
caregiver to stay for another two weeks. Unfortunately, the
caregiver is married and I had to call her husband to explain
things to him. Well, she got more money at the end of the
day and everybody was happy.
Contributions to humanity
I was the first national representative and president of the
International Inner Wheel Club of Nigeria. I am also a past
president of Soroptimists International, Lagos Mainland. I
also participate in a lot of religious activities and I am
the Deaconess of Christ Apostolic Church. I was one of those
that fought for the return of schools back to their owners
a few years ago. For the West African College of Nurse, I
am the Local Organising Committee chairman for the 25th anniversary
celebrations.
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