Bosede Afolabi

"My interest in Obstetrics and Gynaecology developed from a combination of how well I was trained in the subject in medical school, as well as my affinity and empathy for female patients. I remember that I felt a lot of sympathy for pregnant women, especially those who couldn’t afford care."

"I am very proud of the team of over 80 co-Investigators, statisticians, data managers, coordinating doctors, research nurses, research assistants, administrative staff, finance officers, legal advisers, consultants and supervisors that were involved in this project."

"As a clinician, I show that I mean business by being attentive to women, empathising with their needs, concerns and complaints, and ensuring that they leave my consulting room with a feeling of being heard and understood."

"Women can stay relevant by trusting. By nature, a lot of us like to try to do everything ourselves and believe that if we don’t do the work, it will not be done well. Unfortunately, that also leads to burnout and reduced prodcutivity. My motto is that whatever can, should be delegated, to free yourself for the most important stuff."

"That women apply themselves very seriously to whatever they commit to and work extra hard to be taken seriously and to further the goal of their organisation. It also means that when women take on a career, they often excel in their work."

"In my centre – the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), for example – we try to ensure that women going for vaginal delivery who have sickle cell disease have an epidural in labour so that they can deliver as pain-free as possible and smoothly."

"Generally, in all pregnancies, we’re always very mindful of the foetus, but we must remember that the mother is also very important, and for the foetus to be well, the mother also has to be well."

"You cannot afford to register at a primary health facility if you are a sickle cell warrior, as it is a high-risk pregnancy condition. A tertiary centre would be ideal. They can, however, register for prenatal treatment at a general hospital in the absence of an accessible tertiary centre, which can then refer them to one, if necessary."

"Also, being the youngest and being female, you know, it wasn’t really easy. I kept getting comments like 'you have to do a lot of the heavy lifting and the extra work' and so on. Those challenges were quite frustrating, but as time went on, I got my head down and just started doing my work."