 Good morning and happy new month to each and every one of you. I'm in Ghana once again and whenever I come to Ghana, you know how I would do it. Like I said, it's time to celebrate African excellence. Like I said, people are indeed making Africa home again. I just went to Kenya at an amazing time and I'm back again in Ghana for just a week and I know that my one week in Ghana is going to be good. I received a call from a doctor who told me that hey Maya, I moved from the United States back to Ghana to establish Ghana's first mobile doctor service, of which I think it's incredible. And I told him that dog, can you do this for me? I want to go to work with you today. But whatever I'm in Ghana, Woodbrill, Osiris apartment, go with me. They go with me in this apartment just for 10 days and I'll be out of here. Thank you so much. If you are coming to Ghana, make sure you book an apartment with them. The link is going to be in the description box. Book an apartment with them. Stay with them and enjoy your stay in Accra, Ghana. Hey Maya, come with me. Let's go meet this amazing doctor. He's down there waiting for me. Today, your favorite Ghana ecologist is going to be in his lab coats. Hey Maya. Hi, hi. What's up Maya? How are you doing? I'm good. Good to see you. Let's see you my man. That's me man. Mobile doctor's GH. You know it's my first time hearing something about mobile doctor's. Yes, yes. Are you the owner of mobile doctor's? I am the CEO and the president of mobile doctor's in Ghana. Amazing. So you're going to work with me today. Of course. Yes. I'm so pleased to work with you today man. Thank you. Nice to meet you today. Nice to meet you man. Now I'm going to give you a coat for the day. For the day? Okay you're going to put it on. I'm going to work with you today. And make sure your mask is on. Okay? Sorry man. Sorry. Thank you. All right. Yes please. Go ahead. Don't. Yes. This mask I don't know. I don't know. It's sometimes difficult to break it. Thank you so much for bringing me my lab coats. Sure. You know I'm a gynecologist. Are you a gynecologist? Yeah. You know how much it takes to be a gynecologist? Yeah I'm actually a Ghanaian doctor. That's what I'm going to say. Don't. And you know like I know you. Yes. And you've established something that does not exist in this beautiful country with Ghana. Yes. Mobile doctor's GH. Yes. That's incredible. Do you know that? If that's something incredible. Well I always want to do something different. Amazing. And this is Zelle Wada Band in Ghana. I know most of the people watching right now don't know who you are. I know your name but you have to introduce yourself to them. All right. Okay. My name is Dr. John Aque Awa and I'm a Ghanaian trained physician and I did my postgraduate training in the United Kingdom and then I did federal studies in the United States and I practiced medicine in the United States for 20 years. For 20 years? Yes. So let's come back to Ghana. Where you born and raised in Ghana? I was born and raised in Ghana. You attended school in Ghana? I did all my initial education in Ghana up to university level and then I graduated from University of Ghana. Did you start working in Ghana? I worked for about 2 years in Ghana as a house officer in Ghana and then I decided to move on and do something to prove my luck. I just want to know in the first place why would you leave Ghana? You know when you are a young doctor you want to do more right, first of all you want to have a good education because it's not enough to just stop at the first degree right. You want to do more. So in first ones of trying to do more and improve myself I decided to move abroad and go to school and go do federal studies and that took me down to the United Kingdom. How long did you live in the United Kingdom? I was there for 7 years. 7 good years? 7 years. The first 4 years I did my postgraduate training and then after that I worked for 3 more years. And from the UK you went to the United States? From the UK I decided UK is not for me, yes because I want to do more. I don't want to be employed by an institution, I want to be on my own. So in America offers that ability to actually practice your own medicine and do your own thing right. So I decided to go to the United States and do my postgraduate training again. So I did a second postgraduate training in the United States. And after that I decided to go into private practice. So I was initially employed by a company making house calls and then I learned all the skills from that company and they asked me, yes do you want to continue working with us or do you want to do your own thing? I said man I want to be on my own. So they were happy to let me go and start my own practice from scratch. And I did a combination of house call, practice and clinics and hospitals and stuff. And then gradually I realised that it's better to actually practice as a house call physician. So I sold my buildings and my stationary medical practice and then went to a food term house call physician practice. House call practice means that somebody will call you to their house to go take care of them or what? Yeah it means that you go to the homes to see patients when they are ill. And actually it proves the outcome because a lot of patients don't want to come to their hospital to see you. And some of them are bed reading, some of them have they kind of walk and some of them just are reluctant to actually move their body into a medical office. So how long did you operate this home call in the United States? For 20 years. 20 good years. 20 good years, yes 20 years. And after 20 years? So you know during that time I wasn't there for 20 years, I was coming to Ghana very very often. Okay. Initially it was 6 months and it became every month I was coming to Ghana. And I realized in Ghana there is a big gap in the healthcare delivery system. Lots of deficiencies. And imagine yourself that you are in London, okay. And your mother is sick. And you said okay can we take her to the hospital? And there's no ambulance. And then you get a taxi and put your mom in the taxi and take her to the biggest hospital in the country. And then your mother gets admitted to the hospital and she wants to call the doctor and ask questions as to what's going on. And the doctor will not call you back. They are reluctant to communicate the patient's information to a relative. And I have that first experience that I guess will frustrate it. So I want to come back to Ghana and do something different and bring the experience I've had in the United States of all my travels into Ghana. So after coming back and forth, coming back and forth for many, many years, I decided oh my god year of return, let me take advantage and take that big step and move down to Ghana. It's time. So that's what I did. Whoa. And how long have you been doing this dog? You know I've been Ghana for a year. Okay. But I started this practice six months ago. Six months ago. And boy you know it's been helpful for so many patients and they can't believe how convenient it is for a doctor to come to your house. And not only that, you know you explain to them into detail what the American condition is and to their family. And we have a few patients who are in London and they call us and go and see my mom and we go and see them. And then we call them back, we explain to them what happened, what the results are, what the expectations are. The same thing that you explained to a doctor, a friend abroad to give back, right? Yeah. I mean you've been doing this for a year and I want to know are you the only person doing it or when you go to Ghana you recruited other Ghanaian doctors to join the movement or I don't know are you doing this alone or you have other doctors that do this with you? You know it'd be a surprise when I came first I wasn't sure whether I would get doctors to do this with me. Okay. But when I advertised with the position I have so many applicants so I selected 17 doctors. So right now we have 17 doctors who are waiting to be called in a time to join a group. So we have people who are already in a group who are willing to take on the mantle and call them. Yes. You total communication solutions everywhere. I think that is, this is Dr. Awa from Mobile Doctors. We are here to see you. We are at the gate. Oh, Maya. Uh-huh. We finally here. Uh-huh. This is not a hospital. Okay. This is somebody's house. What? This is my house. And my patient is waiting for me. No, that's not true. No, that's not true. No. Okay, let's go. Hi. Thank you. How are you doing? How are you doing? Good. How are you doing? This is Maya. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. All right. Okay. Let's go. All right. Thank you for receiving us. Yeah. Okay. Take off your back and get this thing. And that is, how are you? Yeah, you don't mind the crew recording you? How are you doing? It's wonderful. Okay. How is the pain in the back? No. It's better. It's better? No. It was yesterday. Yesterday. Yesterday. Yesterday. Yesterday. Okay. Let's go. They told me that yesterday I was totally able to sleep well. Oh. Because of the epidural. The epidural. The epidural at the back. They told me that at night I would be sending something. Oh, the spasms. Okay. Okay. Okay. All right. Okay. So, yes. How long have you been taking care of? Oh, I've been taking care of. How long? Maybe five months or so? Four months. Four months. Four? I'm too glad. I wanted to know how does it feel like having a doctor coming all the way from his house to visit you in here without you going to the hospital? Oh, I feel relaxed. Feel relaxed. Relaxed. But that was very helpful. Anytime called means you answer your telephone calls and also have to see you have time for you to discuss. But it details about your health and it's just helpful. Because it's my first time hearing something like mobile doctors. So, I wanted to find out what it is. No, it's okay. So, yes. All of us are hearing this for the first time. Oh. And it's not common in that. It's not common. The first time. And I hope it's doing well. Yeah. My first visit. And it's doing well. So, they will recommend you to so many people out there too? Oh, I'll try. Because before, I'll recommend you for about three, four people. Yeah. Four or five people. But I have to do this. I do so. I was ten months at the hospital. And because it's been helpful to take. Also, I have a doctor who is technical of me. But he also comes in to help because even now I'm saying the next problem that I have is able to be here three times. And there's so much concern about my health. Yes. There's so much concern. He calls me to check on me. I eat everything. So, I'm just happy. Very, very happy. Thank you so much for talking to me. And now, so I'll try to grow my body. Get my healing body. And I'll grow my beauty. So many people. Thank you very much. Yes, thank you very much. Very smart. Thank you. He really did the estate. I have one or two of them. I don't know. That's how I need to take care of them. You see why I told you, you brought something incredible to come. Because I've never heard of mobile doctors. That's why I was trying as much as possible to meet you. Yes, but he's very good. And he's on time if he calls me sometime. And he's no more Ghana time. No, I don't do Ghana time. Time is money. But maybe he's coming from outside. Yes, he's always on time. That's also that's important. Wow. Yes. Doc, are you going to work right now? No, carry on. I will be taking my stuff otherwise you are talking to me. Oh, okay. So I just wanted to know, you've been able to fill that gap in Ghana as in like the first mobile doctor in Ghana, how does it make you feel like? Born and raised there, there was nothing like this, and then you came in to fill the gap. Yes, I feel good. I want to make a difference. I want people to feel me. I want them to have something that is never exist in Ghana. So I feel good that the patients are happy. That's my aim. The patients are happy, I'm happy. What kind of services do you offer? First of all, we do house call visits. We also do laboratory services. The lab will come to the house and draw the blood. We do pharmacy services, medication deliveries at home. We do prenatal care, antinatal care. We do physiotherapy services. We do hospice services. We do dietician services, home massage. We do all that. Some of the patients really need medical attention in terms of you after coming to treat them. I think you leave. Yes. But don't you think you need to let somebody stay behind? As soon as there is a hospital in your home, do I need to have a nurse? Yes. I want to get to that point because when you are sick and you think you need to go to the hospital, I will bring a nurse to your house to take care of you. We have home admissions. For home admissions, patients are critically ill. Instead of them going to join the queue and go and be part of the general population, we said don't stay at home. We bring the IV influence to the house. Can we do blood transfusion in the house? Yes. We do the IV antibiotics. So the nurse will come and stay with you 24 hours a day. Yes. And then oxygen tank. So we do anything that we can do in the hospital. Admissions we can do here. Except when you are so ill that you need to have machines, like ventilators to breathe for you then, we refer you to a big hospital that will take care of those services. Most of us have been complaining about the health care system in Ghana. If you should change one thing about the health care system in Ghana, what would that be? Oh my God. I would think that customer service is vital. There are good doctors in Ghana, but the way they deliver the health care service may be a bit deficient. You want a doctor who will listen to you. You want a doctor who, when you call that doctor, will pick a call. You want a doctor who will explain to you what's wrong with you. To go over the medication with you line by line. To speak to your family member about your condition with your permission. So you want that kind of medical service. It does exist in Ghana, I tell you. Because I've been in Ghana, I've had the same bad experience with this delivery in Ghana. So that's what I would change. I would have to train those doctors who are good doctors to have some kind of customer service in Ghana. And that's what I would change in Ghana. I'm really impressed. Yeah, thank you. I just wanted to tell each and everyone watching us right now that it's time to support mobile doctors in Ghana. It's the first ever in Ghana. The work that you're doing in Ghana, we can replicate this in other African countries so that more people can even learn from what you've achieved in Ghana. And for it to become successful, I think more people need to patronize the service. Yes, that's what we need. And I'm telling each and everyone of you that it's by force. When I endorse something, I endorse it well. This is the first ever, and we need to let him have a successful start. I'm going to put your numbers on your email on the screen. A lot of people are going to call you. Or when they call you, let me know that they called you. I will certainly let you know. That was quick, Doc. Yes, usually about 15 minutes to an hour. It depends on the complexity of the condition. But she's a good patient and she has a lot of issues and I will try to help her go through it. So she's a good patient. She listens to my instructions and I'm happy. Doc, you were living in the diaspora and you decided to come in here to make a difference. Yes. We have so many Ghanians and also Nigerian doctors, especially African doctors in the diaspora. If you have a message for them, what would that message be? I would say, man, the Africans need you, Ghanians need you. We, as physicians that we live abroad, we always have expectations in our various countries. But we don't expect anybody else to make that change unless we come ourselves to help make a change. So our inquiry people to come to Ghana or wherever they come from to try and make a small change. A small change that will go a long way because people here, they don't know what is expected of them. So when they bring all the ideas, people follow it. They bring all the ideas, people follow it. Make sure you follow Doc, make sure you check out Doc, make sure you contact the numbers on the screen, call him and he will definitely be in front of your Doc. Thank you. Thank you so much for taking it. It's a pleasure.