Pharmacist Kaz Olaniyan moved from Nigeria to give his family a better life, and now he’s giving back
Pharmacist Kaz Olaniyan lives away from his family and is ensuring regional folks don’t get left out by opening Midge Point’s first pharmacy.
Mackay
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Kaz Olaniyan’s passion for service means he is making his own sacrifices so the community does not have to.
Mr Olaniyan with his business partner Taz Akinyemi opened Midge Point’s first pharmacy earlier this year, with a second shopfront in Calen.
Mr Olaniyan has been a pharmacist for 25 years, with the decade spent in his home country of Nigeria before moving to Australia.
He said he moved his family to the “lucky country” for greener pastures and has thrived in Queensland ever since.
“My daughter is now studying medicine in Townsville, she came here when she was six years old,” Mr Olaniyan said.
The rest of his family, including his wife and younger children also live in Townsville, but Mr Olaniyan believes he can best serve people in regional towns.
He said he missed them, but had gotten “used to it” from his years working regionally.
“The nearest pharmacy from Midge Point is 25 minutes away,” he said.
“There is no reason why people shouldn’t have access to a pharmacy within a five-minute drive.”
Mr Olaniyan said opening these regional pharmacies proved particularly important during Covid-19.
“People couldn’t see their doctors, and when they did it was through telehealth,” he said.
“When we opened, doctors could fax through the script and people could pick it up in five minutes.”
But Mr Olaniyan said pharmacies were just the first step.
“What we need most now is a doctor operating in Calen and Midge Point,” he said.
Both pharmacies operate Monday to Friday, with Calen open 7am to noon and Midge Point 1pm-5pm.
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