It is true that our upbringing matters and has a lot to do with how we turn out in life. My Leading Woman for this week had a privileged but strict upbringing. Her late father was a senior magistrate and her mother a midwife. Though her parents were exceptionally caring and generous, they brought up their children with discipline which has helped them till date.
“My parents influenced me and my four siblings,” she tells me. “For me, my mother was the most influential. I wanted to be like her. She is a people’s person, fun to be with and a good listener. We all wanted to study Law and be like our dad, but one day I just decided that someone has to follow our mother’s footsteps, so I decided to be a midwife. I did just that and then went beyond that into health service management.”
Kemi Ogunyemi is my Leading Woman for this week. A cancer nurse specialist with over 25 years experience, she holds a Masters degree in Health Care Administration and a Masters degree in Nursing from the University of Phoenix. Trained as a nurse at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Kemi moved to the United States after her studies in Nigeria. Professionally registered in both the US and UK, she has been at the forefront of cancer care and recently relocated to Nigeria after being abroad for the past 28 years. Her last position in the United Kingdom was as lead nurse clinician/lead chemotherapy nurse, Hematology/Oncology Outpatients Department at the Royal Free Hospital, London. She is the Founder/CEO of Kemskis Well Woman Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos.
When and why did Kemi decide to set up Kemskis and what is it about? “I have been in diaspora for 27 years,” she says, “and when my husband and I decided to return to Nigeria, it was a no-brainer that I wanted to be involved in the health sector. I conducted an unscientific research two years ago on what women thought about their health and lifestyle and to my surprise, only 35 percent of the women I spoke to cared about their health enough to have an annual medical check-up. When I was practicing in the US and the UK, I saw one too many Nigerian women seeking medical care for advanced cancer. I knew something had to be done to enlighten women in preventive care and leading healthier lifestyles, hence the need to set up Kemskis.”
Sharing on how far she has gone with promoting women’s health, Kemi further reveals that she has been invited to groups in churches and also attended the last Women in Business (WIMBIZ) conference to promote wellbeing. “I talk to people individually and now that I have relocated and on ground, I plan on using Kemskis as a platform to promote women’s health. We will have seminars, lunch and learn forums, etc to ensure that the message gets across.”
The most common cancer prevalent among women are breast cancer, cervical and ovarian cancer, and colon cancer. Kemi has been involved in raising awareness on these in the US and the UK and intends to do the same in Nigeria, even as Kemskis is willing to partner with other companies and NGOs to continue to raise awareness.
Coming back home to practice in Nigeria after working abroad for so many years has its challenges. Speaking on her challenges so far, Kemi says: “I have the typical challenges which include electricity issues, water and, of course, the cost of items. I wouldn’t say I have personal challenges as such, or should I say the personal challenges have not yet started? Majorly, my challenge is trying to convince women that their health matters and so they should invest in staying alive. Some women say that ill-health is not their ‘portion’ or that they have no money. I believe it is every woman’s responsibility to look after her health.”
She adds that she is very particular about women’s health. “The HPV vaccine is in my front burner for now and I am working with a pharmaceutical company in the US to get the programme started. Awareness and prevention of HPV, especially in young sexually active girls, is old news in the US and the UK but I haven’t heard much about it in Nigeria, so I am working on bringing the programme here,” she reveals.
Obviously, the healthcare system that obtains abroad is far different from what we have here in Nigeria. As such, Kemi says Nigeria’s healthcare system needs a lot of work, from the training of health care professionals to the basic equipment needed in hospitals. “The quality of care or the lack of it is what drives some Nigerians to seek medical care abroad. Lagos State is trying but a lot can still be done. There are state-of-the-art equipment in some Lagos State hospitals but no one to use them or maintain them,” she says.
“I cannot compare the US and the UK health care to Nigeria’s because it is not comparable. However, Kemskis can compare to any other well woman health centre in the world because we care enough to ensure that our services are world-class and client-focused. I have tried to make contact with those in the health care sector in Nigeria to be part of any health group or committee that wants to make a difference, especially in cancer care. I am still waiting and hoping for a response. My contribution will be free,” she adds.
No one wants to die early, which is why we must all take our health seriously. Kemi totally agrees to this. According to her, “Heart attack is now the number one killer of both men and women and we need to be aware of that. Diet, exercise, family history are all predisposing factors to heart disease and that’s why it is important to get checked yearly and even more regularly if there is a high risk. What’s the point of working hard and having money and you can’t even enjoy it? I cared for a wealthy lady once who told me that she would give up all she had for the cancer that had inflicted her to go away.”
One day Kemi is not quick to forget is the day she made a presentation on the management of patients receiving high dose Interleukin2 at the Oncology Nursing Society conference in Orlando. She tells me of the presentation and its impact so far. “This was my first presentation and I was very happy with the results. Interleukin2 is a drug used for the treatment of metastatic malignant melanoma. Nurses who administer and manage the patients being treated with the drug have to be highly skilled and knowledgeable,” she tells me.
“A lot of nurses were reluctant to manage the patients because of the intensity of the care needed. There was also a lot of paperwork involved. So I formed a group to look at how we could make the care process easier but maintain the quality of care. I decided a clinical pathway was needed. A clinical pathway is a legal document which had the prescription and a step-by-step care process for the patient for five days. In summary, it took two years but other institutions have adopted the same pathway. I was also asked by the pharmaceutical company who manufactures the drug to be a speaker on their behalf, which I did for two years.”
Kemi’s passion for women’s health issues led to the creation of Kemskis Health Services with the support of her husband, a physician who specialises in chronic pain management.
Kemskis Well Woman Health Centre is not a spa centre; it is a one-stop shop for all health needs and also provides services for teenagers and is run by professional women. Kemi has a special interest/passion in promoting women’s health to improve well-being and the prevention and early detection of malignant diseases.
A US-certified oncology nurse, Kemi Ogunyemi has won many awards including Emory University, Atlanta Georgia, Transformational Leadership Award in 2008. She is a member of the Oncology Nursing Society, US and UK, and a member of Sigma Tau Thetu International. Kemi also trains students and health professionals on health care topics including customer service and patient-focused care. She is married with three children.
