Dr. Pamela Jackson Ajayi
CEO, Synlab
IFC client, Nigeria
Dr. Pamela Jackson Ajayi observed a need for quality information on health in Nigeria and decided to use her platform as a medical professional and leader in healthcare to fill this gap by hosting a radio show. “My radio program ‘Doctors on Air’ has run a series on COVID related issues every week throughout the pandemic, invited the health commissioner and other specialists to provide reliable and factual information to the public, dispelling myths and reassuring people,” she explains. Dr. Jackson-Ajayi notes that clear, consistent and fact-based communication is essential to manage the public’s reaction to the pandemic and prevent mass panic generated by some media and other unreliable sources.
Dr. Jackson-Ajayi notes that the pandemic has had a significant impact on her organization. As a pathology laboratory service, Synlab was classified as an essential service and has been on the frontline directly dealing with COVID-19 patients. Because of the lockdown in Nigeria however, she notes, Synlab had to innovate to find alternative means of supplying services, which they did by instituting home services and providing services digitally.
“We found that our female staff, have, in spite of the difficulties of running the home, of managing children and their schooling, and taking care of the elderly, have managed to do all of this and get their work done.”
She emphasized that Synlab’s CEO and CFO were both women and they, along with their female staff have played a key role in overcoming the disruption and ensuring operational efficiency for their organization despite challenges: “We found that our female staff, have, in spite of the difficulties of running the home, of managing children and their schooling, and taking care of the elderly, have managed to do all of this and get their work done.”
Speaking of the impact of the pandemic on her personal life, Dr. Jackson-Ajayi notes that while the crisis and confinement accompanying the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for many, she has been able to use the flexibility of working from home constructively: “I ramped up my IT skills with online courses and using technology tools daily. I realized that as I did not need to spend so much time in traffic to go to work, I could be even more effective working from home. Besides, being all together at home with my family has been a very constructive time. We created a stronger bond between us.”
Read through the women leaders’ lessons on leading through COVID-19