No certified Masseur in Ghana – reveals Dr. Pambo

Dr. Prince Pambo, Medical Officer at the National Sports Authority (NSA) has revealed that there is no certified masseur in the country as there is no institution that runs a course to award certificate or diplomas, however people are parading themselves as such and working for premier league clubs and other sports organisations.

Speaking at the one-day first ever peer-review workshop for regional coaches and district sports directors, he observed that some Ghanaians are interested in becoming masseurs so the Medical Directorate of the NSA and University of Ghana, Legon are collaborating to add a related subject to the curricula of the Sports Department for students to build upon their capacity and other sports medics in the country to take advantage of. Treating the topic “Sports Nutrition and Injury Management”, he advised people involved in sports to eat a lot of food that is termed as balanced diet, with 75% carbohydrates, 20% proteins, 5% fats/ oil and as much as plenty of water.

“As you sweat in doing physical activity, you burn a lot of electrolytes and the fluid lost must be replaced. You must drink water whilst training or playing when ever you feel like, not to dehydrate. You must eat the right food at the right time and if you feel the food provider is not delivering quality, change to a different better one” he said. He cautioned football team officials or coaches who use deep heat on fresh injuries that it is dangerous and advised them to apply deep ice freeze instead to cool down the pain and heat on the injured part of the body. “Prevention of injury is the key of successful sports men who have discipline and dedicated themselves to regular training, as stated by the principle of injury management” he stressed. Dr. Pambo called for the empowerment of coaches as they are often at loggerheads with the General Secretaries of the Sports Associations and pleaded with the government to consider the budget for Sports Medicine and the welfare of sports men and women representing Ghana at international competition.

Dr. Vera Opata, a coordinator on HIV AIDS spoke on “Work Place HIV / AIDS Education and Management” and said it is good every one has some knowledge on HIV AIDS as it can infect any one at any time by so many means such as even visiting the barber for a hair cut.

She said one can still be a sportsman or woman or a coach even if you are infected and can take medications to live long, as there is hope and solution for people living with the disease. She said HIV AIDS has no respect for any one, so one can make the right choices, and was glad that the Greater Accra Sports Directorate wants to become the first institution to have a HIV/ workplace policy, which is a prime project. Dr. Vera Opata noted that wars played part in the spread of HIV / AIDS and even moneys serving as palatable dishes for some people and some cultural sexual practices to punish women or men not circumcised much prone to attract the virus. She revealed that out of 100 people in Greater Accra 3 have the disease, in Eastern Region it is 8 out of 100 people, in South Africa it is 30 out of 100 people and adviced people to stick to their partners and avoid casual sex but live religious lives as a preventive method for HIV/AIDS. The first ever Greater Accra Sports Directorate Peer-Review Workshop was also a platform for William Nyameke to speak on Procuement by government orginisations like the NSA. He explained how tenders are forwarded and processes on bidding for contracts, works and services take place. He said one must achieve value for money when using state funds by planning very well and carefully organizing an attractive budget as we as working on approval to get the desired results.

Alice Attipoe, Acting Director General of the National Sports Authority commended the Greater Accra region for organizing the Workshop and promised to take it up to the national level for all other regions to practice. She said ideas have been exchanged and people have known what others are doing that they never knew. She urged the regional coaches not to relent on their oars but train harder and produce talents who will bring glory to mother Ghana.

She noted that sports can be expensive that is why the Associations and coaches must go out to look for partners to support their events. Most of the participants expressed their interest in the Workshop and called for other events that would market sports in the region.

The selected coaches who shared their experiences in the year 2013 were J. Adjasco for volleyball, Henry Qwansah for tennis, E. Osabutey for handball, Francis Frimpong for table Tennis, Benedict Ntreh for disabled Sports (Goalball), Edmund Kpeglo for basketball, Amuzu Logosu for athletics, Ofori Asare and Dan Lartey for boxing, Majety Fetri for weightlifting, Amuzu and Odoi Wilson for Rugby.

Cycling was there as an observer at the event as the coach, Shaban Mohammed was reported ill. Swimming Coach Abeiku Jackson was absent, just like Football handled by Anue Mensah. Tagoe Food located at the Accra Sports Stadium sponsored the water and food that refreshed the participants and resource people.