Patient-centred care is vital to support not only people’s health but their wider wellbeing and rights. Dr. Hajara Yusuf is pioneering patient-centred care in Nigeria with her HYBA Hospital. Here, she shares how Road to Growth supported her entrepreneurial journey. 

My name is Dr. Hajara Yusuf. I am a medical doctor by profession, and work as the Medical Director of HYBA Hospital, a patient-centred hospital in Gilkey, Abuja, Nigeria. Patient-centred care considers a patient’s values and background when prescribing treatment.   

I came across the Cherie Blair Foundation’s Road to Growth programme through a friend. I had been using the HerVenture app to help me set up my own private practice when I applied and was selected to take part in the programme. I have since gained a lot of confidence, knowledge and skills around how to effectively run a private clinic and the management skills required.  

Through my work, I contribute to the goal of universal health coverage, and contribute to my community by helping to provide access to efficient patient-centred care. I also contribute to the lives of staff that work with me and to the next generation by being a role model to girls and children everywhere who can see that yes, this is possible. A female doctor can indeed establish a clinic of her own. There is an adage that says, “when you train a girl, you have trained a whole nation”, because this knowledge actually trickles down. The fact that I can own a hospital, as a woman, is very inspiring to me and I hope my success story will also be inspiration to other young girls. 

The Road to Growth programme gave me a platform to do this and has given me a real advantage over other business owners. I feel that the programme has helped me to contribute to my community, to the global economy and also the global health challenge that we face.