3 weeks ago
7
Dr. Olawale Sulaiman, a Nigerian-born neurosurgeon based successful the United States, has go an inspiring awesome of selfless work and patriotism.
Despite holding 1 of the astir prestigious aesculapian positions successful the U.S., helium chose to instrumentality a wage chopped to instrumentality regularly to Nigeria, his state of birth, wherever helium performs escaped encephalon and spinal surgeries for underprivileged patients.
At 49, Dr. Sulaiman serves arsenic a prof of neurosurgery and spinal surgery, and president of the neurosurgery section and backmost and spine halfway astatine the Ochsner Neuroscience Institute successful New Orleans, Louisiana.
Yet, each month, helium spends up to 12 days successful Nigeria, providing captious healthcare services: often astatine nary cost.
Born connected Lagos Island into a ample polygamous family, Sulaiman’s aboriginal beingness was marked by poorness and struggle.
“I americium 1 of 10 children calved into a polygamous family. My siblings and I shared 1 country wherever we often recovered ourselves sleeping connected a mat connected the floor,” helium told CNN.
Unable to spend assemblage tuition, his beingness changed astatine 19 erstwhile helium received a Nigerian authorities assistance done the Bureau for External Aid to survey medicine successful Bulgaria.
The opportunity, helium said, “opened galore doors,” fueling his tendency to springiness backmost done healthcare. “Africans who person had the privilege of getting outstanding grooming and acquisition overseas indispensable mobilize their web of power to alteration our continent,” helium said.
Nigeria’s wellness strategy continues to conflict with a shortage of aesculapian professionals, according to the Global Health Workforce Alliance: a situation Sulaiman hopes to code done his expertise and commitment.
“My woman and I agreed that giving backmost was the lone enactment for our family. We’ve ne'er looked back,” helium said.
In 2010, Sulaiman and his wife, caregiver Patricia Sulaiman, founded RNZ Global, a healthcare improvement institution that provides neurosurgical and spinal procedures arsenic good arsenic archetypal assistance and CPR grooming successful some Nigeria and the U.S.
The mates besides established the RNZ Foundation successful 2019, a not-for-profit limb offering escaped neurological attraction and surgeries to underprivileged Nigerians.
To prosecute his humanitarian mission, Dr. Sulaiman negotiated a 25% wage chopped with his American leader successful speech for longer holidays to question to Nigeria.
Through RNZ Global, helium and his squad person treated implicit 500 patients and provided preventive aesculapian attraction to much than 5,000 radical crossed some countries.
His interaction extends beyond surgeries. In collaboration with chap neurosurgeon Dr. Yusuf Salman and faith-based radical MPAC, Sulaiman led escaped spinal surgeries for disadvantaged Nigerians successful Kwara State successful 2013.
“He came with implants and instrumentality from the U.S. truthful we could run for escaped connected radical with spine-related problems,” Dr. Salman recalled. “Over the years, I’ve learned a batch astir minimally invasive spine country from moving intimately with him.”
One of his patients, Philomena Arah, described his enactment arsenic “life-changing.” After implicit 15 years of debilitating backmost pain, she underwent a laminectomy performed by Dr. Sulaiman’s squad successful Lagos.
“Walking was unbearable. The symptom stopped maine from socializing oregon exercising,” she said. “The country gave maine my beingness back, and astatine a overmuch little outgo than successful the U.S.”
RNZ Global’s diligent attraction coordinator, Blessing Holison, said the instauration focuses connected helping those who cannot spend the precocious costs of specialized care. “We connection escaped services and country for those that are little privileged,” she said.
Looking ahead, Dr. Sulaiman hopes to found astatine slightest 4 neuroscience centers crossed Nigeria to fortify the nation’s healthcare infrastructure. His doctrine is elemental yet profound.
“Happiness doesn’t travel from what you get, but from what you give. There is ever country to springiness — you don’t request to beryllium a millionaire to give.”
The station Meet US-based Dr Sulaiman who took paycut, returned to ...
English (US) ·