SHORT TUBERCULOSIS PORTRAIT

Adekola Adekunle (34) studied medicine, got a Master's in ‘Healthcare’ and can soon add the title of ‘Master in Public Health’. Adekola used to work in a private hospital, but made the move to Damien Foundation four years ago. “I help far more people now. Here, I really can bring back a smile to people's faces.” At Damien Foundation he was trained by Doctor Osman, the organisation's director in Nigeria, after which he specialised in multi-drug resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis. He works in Ibadan, the largest city in West Africa, where Damien Foundation runs two treatment centres for multi-drug resistant TB and a centre for extensively drug-resistant TB.

When the doctor explains his work his face lights up with a smile. “One in two patients diagnosed with multi-drug resistant TB in 2010 were facing a death sentence. But our therapy is constantly improving and the chances of recovery have now risen to 70%.”

Adekola has anything but a '9 to 5' job. He is constantly busy, from early morning to late evening, and has a newborn baby at home. “But this is what healthcare is all about: dedication. I want to keep doing this job for many years to come.”