Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Work Hours
Monday to Friday: 7AM - 7PM
Weekend: 10AM - 5PM
Beginning of Baptist Medical Ministry in Saki
Saki was a pagan society where deities like Ogun, Orisanla, Egungun, Sango, Ifa, etc. were worshipped. In 1855, Mr. W. H. Clarke visited Saki to explore the possibility of commencing Missionary work. In 1856, Thomas Jefferson Brown, the pioneer of the Baptist Mission in Yoruba land, also visited Saki during the reign of Okere Ajayi Olopoeniyan.
Saki remained predominantly a pagan town with very few Muslims, who changed as a result of a long journey to some parts of West Africa “until 22 November 1901 when Revd Duval brought Christianity to Saki through the American Southern Baptist Mission”. He was later joined by Miss Davey, Miss Donath, Rev. and Mrs. Powell. This was during the reign of Okere Oyedokun I.
He settled and started his preaching station at a hill site” Okeboji, in 1902 with the assistance of Rev. D. O. Toogun and Olaosebikan, Rev and Mrs. Duval “started a dispensary” in their home in May 1902 to cater for the converts. This humble beginning was later expanded to a bigger size with the addition of 4 rooms that made OPD, a resting room, laundry and consulting/counselling office in 1909.
In 1906-1908, the next possible step was to introduce education, which began when another Baptist Missionary, Rev. E. G. MacLean, joined Rev. Duval in 1906. It started as an “Industrial School” teaching carpentry and blacksmithing. “However, in 1910, the school became “a training college for pastors” the forerunner of the present Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso and Baptist College, Iwo”. The two missionary couples were later joined by Miss Mannie David, a trained nurse, in 1920. Her arrival, no doubt, was to boost the work of the expanding dispensary, but her stay was short-lived as she returned in 1923. The Industrial School/Training College was transferred to Ogbomoso in 1920 because Professor Oyerinde refused to come over to Saki, and a vacuum was created but later filled with the founding of a formal school called ‘Elam Girls School’ in 1933. This effort yielded fruitful results in winning converts, who were mainly the youths. These new converts were educated and trained by the missionaries as pastors, carpenters and ward assistants.
This increase in the population of Elam was a challenge to the missionaries because of the size of the dispensary. The need for a full-fledged hospital brought into Nigeria a trained missionary nurse, Mrs. A. C. Donath, in 1936 to join the first staff Nurse, Mr. F. L. Ajao, Mrs. Donath’s stay at Saki was rather short as she was transferred to Oyo, leaving only Mr. Ajao to carry on with the dispensary. Miss Amanda Tinkle, a trained nurse, joined the missionary team in Saki in 1939 and changed the dispensary to a hospital.
“The arrival of Miss Amanda Tinkle in 1939 in Saki was a watershed of events among white missionaries and Nigerians who jointly and severally interceded in prayers for the growth of the dispensary to a hospital before her arrival”. All these people saw the great need for a doctor in the hospital, but there was no financial support.
Miss Tinkle reported later that the only hope to get a doctor was through prayer. The prayers of these dedicated missionaries and Nigerian Christian friends and staff were eventually answered at the 1945 mission board meeting when Dr Mrs. and Rev. W.J. Richardson arrived, and money was requested from the Foreign Mission Board to build a modern Baptist Hospital in Saki. The money was made available in 1946, but permission to begin the building was not granted until 1951, the eventual building of the present Baptist Hospital in its permanent site was granted until 1951”.
Construction work started immediately by the building contractor Oni and Sons of Ibadan, and it was completed towards the end of 1951 and formally dedicated and opened in May 1952. The building of the Baptist Hospital, Saki, in its permanent site was no doubt a special period when the spirit of the Lord worked through the provision of some highly dedicated and selfless missionary medical personnel in Saki. Some of these chosen people who worked with Amanda Tinkle were Frances Hammett and Rev. and Dr Mrs. J. W. Richardson as missionaries were Mr. F. L. Ajao from Ogbomoso, and Miss Frances Hammett, who arrived in Nigeria in December 1944 and qualified as a nurse and a medical technologist and was a special student in anaesthesia. The personnel’s had many experiences and improvising equipment.
The period of 1939-52 was a pioneering era when sheer courage, spiritual commitment to medical ministry, and prayers nurtured the dream and privation of these faithful servants of God. How else could one visualize the hardship faced, the emotional involvement with patients and the fear of the unknown reaction from the community if anything went wrong with patient management in those days? Notwithstanding, it was a matter of conjecture how Dr Mrs Richardson and Miss. Amanda Tinkle, the only doctor, was to successfully carry the full load of motherhood under the tasking and hazardous working conditions of those years. “Dr. Jack Walker came to work in the hospital just after the new building was opened. Dr E. P. Dosher, Dr Roy Fannoni, Dr Jim Moseley and Dr Tolar also joined. Mr Leke Adejuwon, Mr Thimothy Ogunjimi, Mr Owoade, Mr Olawumi, and Mr Eman Ogunjimi were the early nurses in the hospital”.
The hospital was moved to the present permanent site from Elam (Okeboji) in May 1952 by Revd & Dr Mrs Richardson as the Medical Superintendent; Miss Amanda Tinkle was in charge of the Nursing Services. Miss Frances Hammett also opened the new site with them as the laboratory technician.
This period significantly stood out in the history of the Baptist Hospital, Saki, because of its remarkable development and expansion in the new site.
- OPD/Emergency/Pharmacy/Admin and Accounts Block
- Lab/X-ray/Stores Block
- Male/Female/Theatre Block
- Maintenance Section
- 3 Residential quarters were constructed in the new site.
The trained staff complement was made up of fourteen nurses/midwives, two laboratory technicians, one chaplain and forty-nine other employees, including ward aides, clerks, carpenters, tailors, X-ray technicians, janitors, washermen, gatemen and gardeners. There was also one small generator and a station wagon vehicle. It is to be noted that all medical equipment on the ground was of an acceptable standard for the volume of workload for the 40-bed hospital of that period.
More trained nurses from the Baptist Hospital, Ogbomoso, who later joined Miss Amanda Tinkle, were Mr D. O. Shobowale, Mr Owoade, Mrs D.O. Olaleye and Mr James Olaleye.
This string of dedicated missionaries and Nigerians continued their selfless service, making the hospital grow steadily and reaching into several nooks and crannies of Oke-Ogun and Kwara State. The hospital made and is making a significant contribution to Christian work in the entire Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State and Okuta Kwara State.
The Nigerian Civil War, 1967-1970, however, punctuated the steady flow of missionary personnel, especially doctors, leaving only Dr. Tolar to work. He also left for Ogbomoso in 1969. Similarly, Miss M.J. Tanner, the hospital administrator, left for Ibadan in 1969, and the coverage of hospital administration was from Baptist Hospital Ogbomoso. Mr. Olaleye Ige was seconded to the hospital from Ogbomoso to oversee the administration of the hospital in late 1969.
Meanwhile, all the Nigerian nurses under the leadership of Mr T. A. Ogunjimi remained on duty to help the patients. The government of Western Religion later agreed to release a doctor, Dr. E. T. Perzyng, “from the General Hospital, Oyo”, to operate on weekly consultation and to perform necessary surgical operations. The Baptist Mission then provided a station wagon car to convey this doctor from Oyo on Monday/Tuesday every week. This station wagon car also served as an ambulance to carry emergencies to Oyo General Hospital or Ogbomoso Baptist Hospital.
This government doctor, Dr. E. T. Perzyng, served in this capacity from September 1969 to April 1970.
Taken over by Nigerian
All the Missionary Doctors and Nurses left in 1969 during the Civil War of 1967 – 1970. Mr T. A. Ogunjimi, a Nurse, was in charge of the centre, and patients for the operation were conveyed to Ogbomoso Baptist Hospital for surgery.
Things proved to be very difficult until the Late Chief Dr Victor Olubi Fatunla FRCS arrived in April 1970 as the first Indigenous Missionary Medical Director. He combined selfless service with fear of God and expanded the hospital from 40 bedded to a 200-bed Hospital. Through him, Chief Dr E. R. Villaflor, a Pilipino Obstetrician/Gynaecologist, was appointed in 1980.
When Dr. V.O. Fatunla assumed duty, the hospital developed rapidly to the extent that it stood out as the only referral centre in the Oke-Ogun area of the country. The records of activities are now the benchmark upon which medical and academic activities are gauged in the Oke-Ogun area of Nigeria and beyond.
The staff strength rose to a pick of 518 in 1983 with 21 qualified doctors, a pharmacist, 4 Laboratory scientists, 6 Laboratory Technicians and other Para-Medical Staff’ Then the Ministry of Health government of Oyo State under His Excellency Chief Bola Ige was in control of the centre for the free health services of the old Oyo State Government. (Now Oyo and Osun States)
Clinical Services
Available at the centre are as listed below
- Internal Medicine
- Surgery
- Obestertrics & Gynaeacology
- Peadiatrics
- General Practice
- Radiology/Ultrasonography
- Laboratory
- Physiotherapy
- Dental Services
The Centre
| Baptist Hospital | 1902 |
| College of Nursing Sciences | 1992 |
| Baptist School of Midwifery | 1980 |
| Baptist School of Medical Laboratory Technology | 2006 |
| Baptist Medical Centre Dental Service | 1981 |
| Baptist Medical Centre Secondary School | 1993 |
| Baptist Medical Centre Nursery & Primary School | 1985 |
| Baptist Medical Centre Crèche | 2000 |
| Baptist Medical Centre Supermarket | 1999 |
| Baptist Medical Centre School of Post Basci Nursing | 2018 |
Training Programme
| Family Physician Training | 1976 |
| House Officers Training | 1975 |
| General Nursing Training | 1992 |
| Midwifery Training | 1980 |
| Medical Laboratory Training | 2006 |
| Post Basic Nursing | 2018 |