Osei Boateng the founder of OKB Hope Foundation, delivers healthcare to remote areas by a specialised van.
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00:00I grew up in a very small community where access to health care was a challenge.
00:05Individuals in my community had to travel several miles with no guarantee of seeing a health care provider.
00:12I decided to devote my life's purpose to ensuring that everyone has access to quality and timely health care.
00:20It is very fulfilling to provide care to someone who otherwise wouldn't seek care
00:26because of the distance to the nearest hospital.
00:29We see the impact.
00:32I believe that a life lost due to delayed medical care is one too many.
00:37Everyone should have access to health care whether they are in a rural community or they are in the city.
00:45My name is Osei Boateng and I'm the founder of the OK Be Hope Foundation.
00:56The OK Be Hope Foundation is a non-profit organization that is committed to bringing quality and timely health care to underserved communities in Ghana.
01:12Our mobile health initiatives have had a very huge impact on the lives of community members, especially those who live in the rural communities.
01:21We've reached over 6,000 individuals across 66 rural communities.
01:28We purchased an empty van and then we retrofitted that into a doctor's clinic.
01:35Inside the van we have different cabinets where we keep our medical supplies.
01:40We have medical equipment which allows us to provide diagnostic care for individuals.
01:45And also we have a solar panel which provides electricity that powers our med fridge which is used to contain some medications as well as vaccines.
01:58I decided to be part of this project because of the life-changing stories that we bring to people and the joy and then the hope that we give to people in these communities.
02:10Patients who come in with high blood pressures and blood sugars without being aware of their condition.
02:19For most people living in rural communities it's very difficult to get access to health care.
02:25For most people living in these rural communities, most of them have to walk several miles to access the nearby health center.
02:34One of the major challenges that we face is the road network.
02:39Sometimes the road leading to these communities is difficult to reach out to.
02:44We are able to go through this challenge to get them easy health care access.
02:54Before the pandemic, there was no access to health care.
02:57Although we do have access, we are not able to go to a hospital.
03:03After COVID-19, there have been a lot of ongoing quarrels and strife.
03:08We are unable to go to a hospital.
03:12The only hospital that we have is the one in Mbamba.
03:15I have been living in a shelter.
03:19I'm going to do my best.
03:25Good morning.
03:26I'm here at the Air Announcement Information Center
03:30with Dr. Sbiba.
03:34I'm going to do my best.
03:36I'm going to do my best.
03:38I'm going to do my best.
03:40I'm going to do my best.
03:42I'm going to do my best.
03:45My name is Dr.amento.
03:47I sell drugs.
03:50If I know that I'm doing drugs,
03:52I'd like to know,
03:54if this is a drug I should be good.
04:00If you go nuts,
04:02don't meddle in this,
04:04or else,
04:05it's not going to be good.
04:07Maybe I should condemn you,
04:09but no.
04:10Every community that we've been to have accepted our services.
04:17For these communities, this is the first time that they are getting to see a doctor or this
04:20is the first time healthcare is coming to their community.
04:24Through our initiative, they've understood the importance of regular checkups and are
04:28willing to now utilize the healthcare services.
04:32When we get there, we realize the distance from their location to the health center is
04:37very far.
04:38We've brought the hospital to them.
04:42We bring everything we can have in the hospital.
04:46We get them in the van and we convey it to their destination.
04:51See people getting this access to the healthcare that we do, I'm excited because I see smiles
04:56on their faces.
04:57They're always happy.
04:58They've been yearning to go to the hospital, but due to transportation and either money
05:02or other stuff, they are unable to.
05:05Our plan is to expand the fleet of vans that we have.
05:08We want to expand beyond the borders of Ghana.
05:11We've been providing primary and preventative care.
05:14We want to add maternal healthcare for rural moms.
05:18We want to add dental care, train more community members to serve as health advocates and leverage
05:25technology to ensure that we are able to scale the impact of our work.
05:33My advice to someone who wants to make a positive impact in their community is to understand
05:38the community that they want to serve and also start small.
05:42You don't have to have it all to be able to make a positive impact in their community.