June 28, (THEWILL) – The Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Annomo Health, Dr Chichi Menakaya, talks about how she has redefined the future of medicine in this interview with ANTHONY AWUNOR. Excerpts:
How did you come about the name Annomo?
‘Annomo’ is an abbreviation of my mother’s name. The full name is Ann Okwuchukwu Menakaya Orakwue. My mother was the epitome of good health. She walked, spoke, ate, and practiced healthy living. I admired her a lot. So when we launched in 2013, I knew that since we aimed to deliver premium care, my mum was the best ambassador for that. So I stole the name from her and it was coined by my brother Dr Chinedu Menakaya. I wanted others to enjoy the benefits of graceful aging as she had.
What inspired you to start Annomo Healthcare Concierge Service?
Having been confronted many times by the daunting concerns of my friends and relatives with medical needs and the uncertainty of where to get the best help, I realised that it wasn’t only about coming abroad for healthcare, but also about having the best doctor that cares. It is easy to search on Google for the best surgeons in the United Kingdom or across the world, but it is hard to tell who might be the best doctor for you as an individual. Annomo Health was launched to address these concerns in 2013. We started just connecting international private patients to top clinicians in the United Kingdom and today we have grown into a full-fledged health and lifestyle concierge.
Is it true that Annomo caters for the elite exclusively?
The first time someone hears about a medical concierge, they feel that it is only for the rich and famous. Others wonder why it is different from an insurance company. This is a big misconception because when a member of your family or close friend becomes suddenly unwell, you know that you want them to be treated by the best doctor that is available, not just by any available doctor and with the latest technology and treatment protocols. A health concierge ensures that you achieve this and it takes away the uncertainties that come with choosing the best health care. It saves you money and time, while allowing you to have the best care tailored to your needs.
Have you recorded any success story in the eight years that you have operated this health service?
We have recorded many success stories as a business enterprise, especially for our clients. I have seen Annomo Health grow from just a clinician-finding service to a complete health care concierge that is geared towards ensuring a seamless medical journey over the past eight years.
It is amazing the things we offer our clients. We don’t just offer optimum health, but also have a fully serviced lifestyle concierge which can attend to all our clients’ needs from travel arrangements to as little as picking up laundry and even packing your suitcase. Our job is to look after what matters to you so that you can concentrate on living your life to the fullest.
For our clients, we have been able to give hope when everyone has given up. For example, six years ago we got a phone call informing us that a prominent medical doctor in Lagos had just had a brain bleed. We were able to get him on an air ambulance to London and straight to Harley Street for surgery by one of the UK’s top brain surgeons on the same day. Today this man is back to normal with no signs of a stroke. We were able to achieve this because he saw the best man for the job and with no delay.
As an organisation that connects people to world-class doctors, how do you go about sourcing these doctors all over the world?
We have a very meticulous process before a clinician or a hospital or group is included in our services. Annomo Health is run by doctors who are leaders in their respective fields with a huge network of world-renowned centres of excellence. We have banked on our years of experience and interaction with other doctors to select our specialists. We go for doctors that are known for making a global impact or bringing in a change that ensures optimum care. These are the doctor’s doctors, the kind of colleagues that we would be happy to treat us if we were their clients.
The next thing we do is review their clinical outcomes and we set a standard that has to be met. We also review the patient’s experiences with the chosen clinician. If you are the best doctor, but you are unable to listen to your patient, that patient’s experience will be horrible. So we narrow our list by choosing only top clinicians with excellent patient experiences. For the hospitals we work with, we choose them, based on whether they have a track record of excellence or not and also their access to the latest technology and treatment protocols.
Having practised medicine in the United Kingdom and other advanced countries, what is your take on the health sector in Nigeria?
I have been lucky. Although I have practiced in some of the advanced countries, I was trained in Nigeria. I have, therefore, experienced both worlds and as they say, experience is the best teacher. Nigeria is a country full of great talents and skilled medical professionals with the majority offering their best, despite the constraints.
Our health system needs a lot of help and it’s not just in the area of infrastructural development. We have a huge problem: We need to address the attitude of the people concerning their health. I can never forget my fourth year in medical school when the wife of a top surgeon presented with breast cancer. With her level of knowledge, she kept the lump hidden and prayed that it would go away till it was too late. So if a woman that educated and married to medicine does not seek help, what happens to an uneducated woman who has never heard of the word lump?
Then there is the issue of health policies. Our health system needs better regulations. We need policies that make health workers and facilities accountable to citizens. We need a transparent attitude whereas doctors must include our patients in decision making. I find it strange when older relatives tell me they are on medications they do not know the names of. How do they get help if they suddenly develop allergies? The Nigerian health sector needs to come together under one umbrella and address these challenges.
What is your advice on how to improve healthcare in a country like Nigeria?
I strongly believe that the only persons that can save Nigeria’s health situation are Nigerians themselves. Our focus should be affordable healthcare to all citizens alongside health prevention measures. Health is a basic human right. We need to reorient our citizens to understand the science of disease. Once we get people’s understanding that cancer is a health issue and not caused by their next-door neighbor, we will begin to win and rebuild. There is no harm in asking for help from the Diasporan and international medical communities. If we aim to rebuild our systems we need to look at existing better healthcare and use that as a template to rebuild our services, taking into consideration our culture and religious beliefs.
More important, we need to promote the need for annual wellness checks and make Nigerians understand that you do not need to be sick before you seek health. As they say, prevention is better than cure. That should be our mantra. Annomo Health has an extensive health screening programme that is comprehensive and empowering at the same time. Let us build a healthier nation by prevention.
Has any of your clients ever expressed dissatisfaction with your services, perhaps due to loss of life?
Health is an extremely complex matter. Sometimes by the time patients come to us, it may be too late for medicine to make a difference. We have also seen inoperable situations where we cannot help. It’s all about managing client expectations. We have one general rule: If, as clinicians, we believe that the patient has passed the stage where we can make a difference, we tend to advise the family to avoid travelling and just put things in place.
Although this is a business, we are doctors first. Therefore, we ensure that our service is patient-driven, not profit-driven. This is horrible news to break and it can cause a lot of conflicts. It is extremely hard to tell someone that, in our medical opinion, their loved ones won’t get better, no matter where they go. We have clients shouting down the phone after these conversations. So we listen and lend a helping hand at times like this. I find these situations very difficult for the client.
Your father, Dr Tim Menakaya, once served as a Minister of Health under President Olusegun Obasanjo. Did this background prepare you for what you are doing?
My background has influenced me a lot. I always joke that I was born to be a doctor. For as long as I can remember, I lived in a world surrounded by great doctors, including my father, and they all had one goal: Their patients’ needs always came first. This is why ‘patient first’ is the phrase that I resonate with till date. It’s hard not to allow this influence you every day.
I admire my father a lot. Not only was he the No1 man in health, but also a renowned doctor who pioneered private medical practice in Nigeria. Today, I still look to him for guidance and words of wisdom. My Mum, Chief Magistrate Ann Menakaya (late) on the other hand, challenged me constantly to be the best in everything I do. She set the stage for everything I have become today. Believe me, if you are born into this home, you only aspire to deliver the best always. That is the core value of Annomo Health.
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