Growing up in a quaint village in North Ghana, Osei Boateng was a silent witness to his kinsfolk's frantic struggles to reach basic healthcare. In his community, treks to a local hospital could span long, tormented hours. Boateng painfully recalls the loss of many lives, including his beloved grandmother and aunt, to treatable diseases. "It is tragic to lose someone to preventable causes," states 28-year-old Boateng.
Statistically, a Ghanaian's life expectancy hovers around 64 years, with a large proportion of deaths resulting from manageable conditions like malaria, stroke, and respiratory infections. Boateng, driven by his community's experiences, resolved to revolutionize healthcare access in Ghana's remote communities. His pursuit led him to the United States, where he secured a scholarship to study biology at Cornell University.
Reminiscing his time at Cornell, Boateng admits, “While learning about complex health issues like high-tension diabetes, I realized that my folks back home were unaware of these deadly risks, lacking the options for early screenings." He recognized a dire need for education and preventative healthcare in Ghana's remote areas. Pushing people to make hospital visits wasn't going to suffice. “Many barely have time to spare,” says Boateng, “They earn their meals by what they trade in the market"; hospital visits were not a practical demand.
In a bid to overcome these healthcare obstructions, Boateng birthed OKB Hope Foundation, his non-profit endeavor. In 2021, he transformed a van into a mobile physician's cabin, offering doorstep healthcare services. This mobile clinic, equipped with a small but competent team of a nurse, a physician’s assistant, a doctor, and an operation assistant, makes regular journeys into distant communities of Ghana, providing free essential medical care.
Boateng's 'Hope Health Van' has already impacted more than 4,000 lives across 45 rural communities, offering immediate health services. To bolster this effort, his organization has trained 20 local volunteers to act as health advocates. These advocates furnish the medical team with real-time health statistics and have aided around 1,000 people.
Recognizing mental health as another critical frontier, Boateng strives to normalize mental health treatments in Ghana. To this purpose, his organization runs an initiative to incorporate mental healthcare into their services, even holding regular school visits to encourage understanding and care towards mental health conditions amongst students.
With his vision tuned towards the future, Boateng aspires to expand his initiative, bringing consistent, superior medical care to more remote corners of Ghana and other countries. "Our model can be replicated in Sub-Saharan Africa," shares an optimistic Boateng, planning to boost his foundation with strategic partnerships and additional mobile health vans.
Boateng sacrificed his job to devote his time to the OKB Hope Foundation. But he deems his sacrifices justified, as he states with emotion, "It is indescribably gratifying to provide care to someone who would not have survived without your help.
Keen to join forces? Please check out the OKB Hope Foundation website to find out how you can contribute. Donations to the OKB Hope Foundation can also be made via GoFundMe.
