The Legacy of Dr. and Mrs. George Green in Ogbomoso: Pioneers of Baptist Medical Work in Nigeria

On March 18, 1907, the landscape of healthcare in Nigeria experienced a historic transformation with the arrival of Dr. George Green and his wife Lydia Barnes Williams Green in Ogbomoso, Oyo State. This British-born couple—missionaries of the Southern Baptist Convention—established what is now the Bowen University Teaching Hospital (BUTH), formerly known as the Baptist Medical Centre.

Origins and Journey to Africa

George Green was born on July 26, 1872, in London, before relocating to Montreal, Canada, in 1894. He later lived briefly in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. On November 17, 1906, he was appointed the first medical missionary to Africa by the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Shortly after marrying Lydia Barnes Williams on January 9, 1907, the couple journeyed to Nigeria, bringing along a small set of personal medical instruments, some essential drugs, and fifty dollars. Their mission: to begin medical work in Ogbomoso.

The First Operation in Ogbomoso

Upon arrival, the Greens settled in a house built by Rev. C. E. Smith 25 years earlier, near the present-day Antioch Baptist Church. The very next day, a four-year-old girl with crooked legs was brought to Dr. Green. He turned the dining room into an operating room and used the dining table for surgery. With Mrs. Green as the nurse and Rev. S. G. Pimock administering anesthesia (chloroform), the operation was a success. The girl’s recovery and ability to walk marked the beginning of a new era of healthcare in the region.

Growth and Expansion

Two years after their arrival, the couple moved into a new house. The ground floor served as a hospital, while they lived on the top floor. As patient volume grew, thatched sheds were built on both sides of the house to accommodate male and female patients.
Around 1917, when the Government Rest House and Post Office opposite the hospital were relocated, the Baptist Mission applied for and received the present site of nearly 40 acres. Funding for permanent hospital buildings began with donations from the Women’s Missionary Union (WMU) of Virginia—Mrs. Green’s home state—and additional support from a 1919 Southern Baptist Convention campaign.
The cornerstone of the permanent structure was laid in December 1921. The construction was supervised first by Dr. E. G. Maclean, a dentist, and later completed by Rev. H. P. McCormick.

Dedication of the Baptist Hospital

On July 4, 1923, the Baptist Hospital Ogbomoso was officially opened. Though initially made of mud buildings, they served the community for 36 years before they were replaced with modern structures, beginning with a facility dedicated on August 16, 1959.
The hospital has since evolved into a comprehensive medical institution, providing services including:

General medical care

Nurse and houseman training

Dental services

Tuberculosis and leprosy treatment

Motherless babies and malnutrition care

Honours and Legacy

Dr. George Green, who served in Nigeria for 37 years, was honored with the chieftaincy title Ba’asegun of Ogbomoso. He passed away in 1962, aged 90. In his memory, the George Green Baptist College was established in Ogbomoso on October 6, 2004. Classes began the following day with 63 pioneer students and 10 staff, under the leadership of Mr. David A. Oladunni (now deceased). The school initially operated within the Bowen University Teaching Hospital Staff School before relocating to its permanent site at Baby area, Ogbomoso, on September 25, 2006.

Impact Today

What began with a single surgery in a dining room has grown into one of Nigeria’s most respected medical institutions. The contributions of Dr. and Mrs. George Green continue to benefit generations, embodying the power of vision, compassion, and commitment to humanity.
Their legacy is a timeless testament to faith in action and medical missionary work that forever changed the course of healthcare in Oyo State and beyond.