BUKKY GEORGE DOUBLE CELEBRATION@50!
Bukky George, aka Queen of Pharmacy, is the Founder & CEO of HealthPlus Limited, Nigeria’s first integrative pharmacy, the fastest growing pharmacy & beauty chain in West Africa. She built a solid foundation in the first seven years. Through cycles of expansion and consolidation, her two brands, HealthPlus Pharmacy and CasaBella Beauty have grown to over 90 retail stores, with 850+ employees in 11 States of Nigeria. Today, they are the gold standard in retail pharmacy & beauty and have become a household name in Nigeria and beyond.
With such accolades, behind every success story, there are challenges to overcome and one of such is Bukky’s life was the recent survival of when not one, not two but 11 members of her household including her family and her 83yr old mother all tested positive for the dreaded Covid 19!
As she turns 50, we celebrate this multi-award winning female role model for entrepreneurship in Nigeria and also celebrate her and her family for surviving COVID-19.
You are often referred to as the Queen of Pharmacy or the Queen of Retail, tell us about your journey from an 18sqm store to becoming the leading pharmacy & beauty chain in Nigeria?
It’s been an eventful and exciting rollercoaster ride. It has taken grit and grace to emerge as the industry leader. We opened our doors to customers 21 years ago in GRA Ikeja. Focus they say is the hidden driver of excellence. We have remained laser-focused on maintaining the highest standards in retail pharmacy practice, employing the best and the brightest, guarding the integrity of our supply chain to prevent infiltration of sub-standard products and we have remained committed to exceptional customer service.
It has been said that you achieved what the men couldn’t do. What were some of the challenges you faced in building your company and how did you overcome them?
Ours is a highly regulated industry and so I duff my hat to all those who were ahead of me to pave the way. I must acknowledge the untiring efforts of NAFDAC, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria in enabling the industry. In particular, I will like to honor the memory of Prof. Dora Akunyili, the former DG of NAFDAC whose unprecedented achievements sanitized the pharma industry, paving the way for a new order upon which we built.
Major challenges in building HealthPlus are access to affordable finance, retail technology and the usual people issues. Each challenge presents an opportunity. In overcoming them, we have moved in our positive direction and continue to do so.
How have you maintained your industry leadership despite economic downturns and increasing competition?
By not paying lip-service to our brand promise. Our customers are guaranteed quality medicines, healthcare and beauty products. In a country where fake products still proliferate the stores and markets, we provide peace of mind. Our product and service offerings are unique and relevant. We have worked very hard to build on effective team. Our people are indeed our number one asset. We have standardized our core processes for operational efficiency. We aim to delight our customers and are committed to continuous improvement. We intentionally and vigorously pursue these to stay ahead.
Describe some of your most fulfilling moments in your entrepreneurship journey.
The confidence our customers have in our knowledgeable pharmacists and quality products. We are viewed as healthcare heroes in the communities we serve. Every employee acknowledges their growth in skills and capacity. We have empowered entrepreneurs in pharma, healthcare and other industries. We share our best practices with business management students. We have raised the bar in our sphere, winning multiple awards including the NHEA Awards, the industry’s Oscars, every year but one from inception.
The healthcare industry has come under the spotlight with the coronavirus pandemic, what are the biggest issues affecting healthcare in Nigeria and what is the way forward?
Where do I begin? Is it the brain drain which has been on for decades? We have been losing our locally trained health practitioners to greener pastures.
Human resources is everything. The grossly inadequate investment by government in healthcare infrastructure haunts us daily. Quality standards are either not in place or are not uniform across the industry. Access to longterm, affordable financing is stunting growth. How can healthcare businesses grow with 23% interest rates. Surely, a single-digit, naira-denominated Health Fund is urgently needed. Those of us who have scaled our businesses are being strangulated by the high cost of funds.
We need an enabling policy environment to unlock the potentials of the private sector. Government cannot do it alone. The Coronavirus pandemic highlighted this. It took five months to onboard private sector diagnostic labs to join government facilities for COVID-19 testing. This is not good enough! We need to improve our life expectancy from embarrassing numbers like 53/54 years!
After your household’ ordeal of surviving Covid 19, it must have been a double celebration, thanking God for five decades on earth and also for surviving the virus?
Indeed turning 50 and my family surviving Covid was a double celebration! I mean, what are the odds that 11 persons out of 12 will test positive for COVID-19 and all survive? While most of us were asymptomatic, two of us had moderate symptoms.
I say moderate because we did not need oxygen nor a ventilator but it was traumatic enough. I celebrated my birthday with a colourful zoom thanksgiving themed Joyful Jubilee...an expression of my ecstatic gratitude for how far God has brought me, his mercies, favour and excess love over my family and I. My Pastor of 25 years, Paul Adefarasin of House on the Rock Church officiated the service. The choir went above and beyond. Over 400 family and friends showed up for me.
You are the last person one would imagine will catch the dreaded COVID-19 infection. Does this not drive home the point that no measure is too extreme to use in preventing and fighting this virus?
If anyone had suggested I will contract the virus, I would have considered it a big joke. Why? Because I am anal about health and wellness. I pay exacting attention to detail. I crafted a procedure for decontaminating my children upon their return from College and this information went viral. Family and friends reached out to thank me. Domestic staff were not allowed to go on time off. All packages coming in were disinfected. The house was on lockdown. We also had very elaborate SOPs set up at work to protect our staff and customers while we stayed open to serve. If we went through these lengths to protect ourselves and the virus still came in, it is clear that each of us must go above and beyond to stay COVID-free, especially if there are underlying health conditions.
What immediate steps did you take to get tested and what emotions ran through your mind when 11 out of 12 members of your household tested positive? How did you break the news to your family?
When one member of the family started coughing badly during the Easter weekend, I suggested a
COVID test. An antibody test was carried out and it was positive. Shock was an understatement. I was frightened. I called in my oldest son and informed him of the test result. He was ultra calm and this gave me some courage. A doctor friend put plans in place for
PCR tests the next morning. 12 of us got tested. Results came out in 24 hours. The doctors said we had a lot of positives which included myself, all the children, my 83 year old mum, nanny, chef and drivers. Once I got the positive PCR results, I informed each family member over a 24 hour period, starting with the most vulnerable who had to go on immediate admission at an Isolation Centre. With hindsight, I salute the high levels of emotional intelligence of my folks. There was no drama. I had their full cooperation to activate medications, extra supplements, steam inhalation and pack up for the Isolation Centre in Yaba. I have to emphasize that taking action with speed is everything!
What symptoms did you all have?
Seven of us were asymptomatic, two had mild flu-like symptoms such as cough, headache, achy eyeballs, general aches and pains and runny nose. Myself and another had the respiratory illness. We suffered. We had turbulent pain in our chests. A tightness at the base of our throats. Back and leg aches and extreme weakness. I had a raspy exhausting cough for weeks.
Can you tell us about your experience at IDH, from admission till discharge?
The day after we got the positive PCR results, each person packed a suitcase for seven days. We then made our way to the IDH. The admission process was thorough. We were fortunate they had enough bed spaces for 11 of us. Like I detailed in my article that went viral, titled “When The Unthinkable Happens”, IDH was newly renovated, clean and had 24-hour power supply. These were good enough for me. I did not have high
Indeed turning 50 and my family surviving Covid was a double celebration! I mean, what are the odds that 11 persons out of 12 will test positive for COVID-19 and all survive? While most of us were asymptomatic, two of us had moderate symptoms.
expectations because of the tales from the 2014 Ebola epidemic. I was therefore pleasantly surprised. The medical corp were professional and appropriately attired in PPEs. From Worldometers’ data, deaths per one million, population is four in Nigeria and 660 in the UK. UK ranks 4th in the world while Nigeria is in the 141st position. My suspicion is that our Ministry of Health and NCDC must have brainstormed on the best approach to handle COVID-19, set up treatment protocols and were willing to be flexible to try medicines that had some evidence of success. You will agree with me that we are doing well in Nigeria given this data. Kudos to the entire healthcare team in Nigeria, especially all my colleagues on the frontlines.
Your 83 year old mother survived this virus? How, considering the odds were against her?
She was thankfully asymptomatic. I attribute our recovery first to the grace of God. In addition, my mother is an unusual 83 year old. She is as fit as a fiddle. Her Body Mass Index is perfect. She is particular about her meals – zero wheat containing foods, zero processed foods, zero fried foods. This has been her way of life for as long as I have known her. She walks everyday. She takes her nutritional supplements daily. She is your poster lady for health and wellness.
12. How did you keep hope alive while in the ward?
I am a positive and happy person. As a family, we have a great sense of humor. As Christians, our faith is a big part of who we are. In addition, we had some phenomenal ward mates and twice a day, we held praise, worship and prayer sessions.
I also ensured this was replicated in the male ward. Other actions we took included SPO2 checks, daily exercise, steam inhalation, chest physiotherapy and breathing exercises. Phone calls, encouraging or informative messages from family and friends kept us going. I continued my official work while on admission. The children were attending school online. My mum read her bible and knitted scarves. Each person was occupied.
What requirements were you given to follow after your discharge and more importantly, how did you still feel health wise even after you had tested negative?
While on admission, we were given Antiretrovirals, Antibiotics, Calcium and Vitamic C. Upon discharge, we were given enough of these medicines for one more week. Every other therapy we engaged in while on admission were self-help from online research and personal experiences of survivors. I like to emphasise this because most people hand themselves over to medical practitioners like they have all the answers. In today’s world, we have important information at our finger tips, as long as we are looking at authentic sources. We must all vigorously participate in our own health and wellness. It is now a well established fact that long after a COVID-19 victims test negative, the symptoms continue. Two of us continued to have the turbulence in the chest, the fullness in the throat, the raspy cough and weakness. Speaking to survivors who had similar respiratory symptoms helped. They were ahead of the curve and so could reassure me that these too shall pass!
Have you experienced any stigmatization since being discharged?
Yes. Upon discharge, I called my doctor asking for a check-up since no tests were carried out while on admission. I got a politically correct answer which was not lost on me. I was told that IDH had the knowledge, skills and manpower to handle COVID cases and so I should go back to IDH for the desired check-up. I was feeling very poorly and needed to know if something was still going wrong under the surface. I walked into a diagnostic centre, asking for a chest x-ray and full blood work. The manager asked why and I explained I was once positive with COVID but now twice negative. I even showed him my negative certificate. He would not look at me, just kept his gaze on the floor. I was determined to be seen and waited in this centre for 90 minutes before the manager got clearance from his management. I was gobsmacked because a lab/ diagnostic centre must assume that all persons walking in could be positive with COVID, HIV or a host of other infections. They must therefore adhere to strict protocols which protect themselves and their clients.
There have been videos around of some survivors who say they “would not wish this ailment on their worst enemy”. Did you, at any point think the odds were against you in terms of survival?
I certainly do not wish COVID on anyone. I just read that 13 reverend sisters died of COVID in one convent. This disease is deadly and should be taken very seriously. The News is full of stories of the consequences of COVID. Some people have permanent lung damage. So many deaths home and abroad, across all ages. Yes, I had some moments when I wondered if the two of us with the respiratory illness will survive the virus!
What advice will you give to families in such situations, to help them cope better emotionally and avoid playing the blame game?
Focus on your focus! That is, survival. It is irrelevant who got careless or who was unfortunate to catch the dreaded virus and brought it into the home or office. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Aggressively deploy all and every solution you have at your disposal. It is better to go over the top than to have regrets about “what ifs”.
As the owner of Nigeria’s biggest pharmacy chain, what will you advice people to take on a daily basis to strengthen their immune system against this virus?
First, the fundamentals of optimum health is eating healthy balanced meals, regular exercise, adequate sleep, adequate water, periodic detox and nutritional supplements. Ideally, these should be in place as a norm for every person. People often ask me what supplements to take. At a minimum, take HOPE, an acronym for high fibre, omega oils, probiotics and enzymes. These are essential nutrients which the body does not produce. In addition to HOPE, add the best quality natural multivitamin & mineral complex you can afford to take daily; plus supplements specific for any health conditions you may have, for example, CoQ10 and Garlic for cardiac health. Specific nutritional supplements for boosting the immune system against Coronavirus include high doses of VitaminC, Vitamin D, Black seed oil, Garlic and Selenium. Cellgevity, Purxcel, Immpower and Immunactiv are excellent combo supplements too.
There has been speculation that another lockdown is inevitable. Some feel it is better to be patient than be a patient, while others feel it’s too economically damaging to introduce another lockdown. What is your take on this?
The cost of another lockdown will be devastating to all. Luckily, the pandemic hit Africa late so we had the benefit of adopting best practices from other countries. Taiwan is an excellent example. They are so close to China yet managed to have only 458 cases and seven deaths. There is a video online that articulates the swift and sweeping actions Taiwan took. Let’s look to femaleled countries that better managed the pandemic in order to stay safe while keeping the economy alive.
Are there any added measures you have taken to prevent a recurrence in your household?
We have kept up the usual precautions. We wear masks when leaving the house and add face shields when going to crowded places. I want to believe we have antibodies that will protect us, but no one knows for sure how long this protection will last for. I have seen three months online.
You just turned 50 and it looks good on you! What’s your secret for staying radiant? Do you have any regrets? What is your philosophy on life going forward?
My much awaited golden jubilee in the magical year 2020. I am excited and grateful to reach this major milestone. A merry heart does good like medicine! This is my secret. I am happy and positive. I surround myself with positive people that add value to my life. I expect good things to happen to me. I guard my mind from negative energy. I believe that all things are possible. I trust God and believe all things are working for my good. Regret is not a word in my dictionary. It causes worry and imprisons one in a permanent state of sadness. Never regret...instead learn. My life philosophy is to live my life to the fullest. We only get one chance to live afterall. So discover your purpose and fulfill it. Bring positive change to your sphere of influence. Do everything that you have ever dreamed of doing and then more. Work smart. Be intentional about your retirement and financial independence. Keep your family and friends close. Be spontaneous, laugh loud, play, dance and be happy.
I am a positive and happy person. As a family, we have a great sense of humor. As Christians, our faith is a big part of who we are. In addition, we had some phenomenal ward mates and twice a day, we held praise, worship and prayer sessions.