Dr. Blossom Adaeze Maduafokwa: A resilient leader in the health sector

A popular quote by E.O. Wilson says “The education of women is the best way to save the environment”. A deep insight into this statement tells of the relevance of educating a girl child.

In Africa, women are believed to be the newborn child’s primary caregiver; the paid nanny, the forbearing grandmother, or an elder sister is likely to take care of a child, especially during the critical years of that child. The care provided by these women encompasses even the very health of that child. In a way to elaborate on this quote, let’s take a brief look at the biography and impact of certain woman in the health sector of Nigeria.

Blossom Adaeze Maduafokwa is a Nigerian medical doctor, and mother of four children.

She obtained her first degree in Medicine in 1994 at the University of Nigeria, Enugu State. This marked the beginning of her journey to impact greatly in the health sector of Nigeria. She was trained as a Public Health physician with a master’s in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She worked as chief registrar office at Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

One important virtue that created opportunities for Blossom Maduafokwa in the early years of her career and the drive that kept her going despite her challenges was her drive to positively the lives of people.

Being a resilient leader in the health sector, Dr. Blossom is credited with having curbed a wider spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria.

Blossom is an eight-time full marathon finisher, a licensed Zumba instructor, and a group fitness instructor with an Athletics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) certification. She is the creative director of Blossom’s Fitness Hub, a fitness and wellness platform.

In 2023, She was part of Nigeria doctors who advocated against the National Assembly’s proposed bill to prevent health workers from leaving the country until five years of practice and also helped to create awareness before the Federal Government raised the alarm on June 12, 2023, over the outbreak of a deadly disease known as anthrax.

In the public health advisory jointly signed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Nigeria was said to be at high risk of importing the disease from Ghana, where it was confirmed both in humans and animals on June 1.

Her impacts alone Helped to reduce the casualties in Nigeria after the bacterial disease was confirmed in northern Ghana, which borders Burkina Faso and Togo.

Through her organisation, Blossom is working on the prevention of breast and cervical cancers through increasing awareness – promoting activities within communities, and screening services for breast and cervical cancers as well as noncommunicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension.

Blossom works with vulnerable groups such as infants, pregnant women, people living with disabilities, the elderly, survivors of sexual violence, hard-to-reach and conflict-affected communities, internally displaced persons, and street children. She also works with widows of conflict including child widows and those who have suffered harmful traditional practices.