From Heartbreak to Flying Doctors: Ola Orekunrin’s Story

Ola Orekunrin is a British‑Nigerian doctor, entrepreneur, helicopter pilot and founder of Flying Doctors Nigeria, the first indigenous air ambulance service in Nigeria and West Africa.

Orekunrin was born in London and grew up in England. She qualified as a medical doctor at a very young age, graduating from the Hull York Medical School by age 21, making her one of the youngest doctors in the UK.

While she was studying medicine in the UK, her 12‑year‑old sister fell seriously ill while visiting Nigeria. The family urgently needed to evacuate her to a facility that could provide the right care, but to their shock, there was no air ambulance service available in Nigeria or anywhere in West Africa. They searched throughout the region but found only a provider in South Africa. By the time that service could be activated, her sister had passed away.

That personal tragedy stayed with her. She later reflected that it made her decide not just to work in healthcare in the UK, but to return to Africa to fix the problem itself.

After graduating, she left her medical career in the UK and moved to Nigeria to set up Flying Doctors Nigeria in 2007/2008. The company uses a fleet of planes and helicopters to transport critically ill and injured patients from remote areas to hospitals, providing intensive medical care during flight. Patients airlifted include those with road traffic injuries, gunshot wounds, and other emergencies where time is critical.

Her work has been internationally recognized. In 2013 she was named one of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders, a prestigious honor for outstanding leaders under 40.

Today, Flying Doctors Nigeria continues to operate across Nigeria and into West and Central Africa, saving lives by getting patients to the care they need faster than ground transport would allow.