I am Richard Frempong 30 years old man married with 3 kids and working as a professional nurse . I have work for the past four years for Ghana Health Service. I work in a CHPS(Community Health-base Planning Services) compound in Gomoa , a rural community in the central region of Ghana. Majority of the population have no or little knowledge on communicable and non communicable diseases, prevention and treatment.

I have a humble beginning from a village in the eastern region of Ghana. My parents were typical peasant farmers who lived on our meagre farm produce we get upon continuous cultivation.

It was difficult for my parents seeing us through school and at a young age I needed to take the task of seeing myself through senior high school after Jhs, with support from some benevolent persons in our neighbourhood.

I had a dream of becoming a doctor and my family thought it cannot be since no one has ever gone beyond JHS not to talk of becoming a doctor.

In a succinct, I completed Senior High education, learnt how to drive and became a taxi driver.

4 years after driving, with my little savings, I purchased nursing forms and enrolled to the nursing training college. I faced a lot of financial difficulties in school but managed to merge schooling and doing petty jobs to be able to complete Nursing. I passed by the grace of God.

Hard work has been my backbone from infancy and I am stopping at nothing to ensure my childhood dreams become a reality.

As a nurse working in the rural communities in Ghana, I often meet a lot of people who are oblivious of the health and suffer a lot of complications from preventable and non communicable diseases. Some of these diseases are diabetes mellitus, hypertension etc. I therefore endeavoured to help avert this situation.

I established a diabetes and hypertension corner where daily screening is done for both the sick and the healthy.

I provide daily screening of blood sugar and blood pressure as part of routine screening at the clinic.

I used different channels to communicate the importance of screening your self at the clinic. I used the community information centres(community radio), churches, mosque, the market place and one on one during house to house visitation, as a mechanism for promoting Health.

I also manage an over the counter medical store(local pharmacy) where I stock essential medications to administer to the communities I serve.

Working in the rural parts of Ghana present cases that need to me managed to prevent complications before referral to higher facilities.

Essential medications mostly distributed my 5he medical store from the region sometimes takes as long as 4 to 6 month before supplies are brought.

I want to purchase these essential medications to prevent complications and mortality in my locality.

Thanks.