Physio Director Warns On Obesity

The Director of the Ghana physiotherapy education progamme, Dr.Ken Sagoe has said that the rapid changes in the life style of people is contributing to reduced physical activity and predisposes to obesity, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

He added that it is also estimated that lack of activity leads to more than two million deaths every year.

Dr. Sagoe said this at a symposium organized by the Ghana-Netherlands Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation project on the topic "Physiotherapy, a missing link in the Manpower Development" with the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Services.

He explained that physiotherapy is an autonomous and independent health care profession which uses physical therapeutic means and exercises, to maintain and promote health, and also, restore function and independence, when individuals have disabilities, loss of mobility caused by physical psychological and other disorders.

Giving a short history of physiotherapy in Ghana, Dr. Sagoe said it was introduced into Ghana in 1994 with the first unit set up at Korle-bu hospital. The first Ghanaian to be trained as a physiotherapist was first deployed to Okomfo Anokye hospital in Kumasi. The Ghana Association of Physiotherapists was formed 28 years ago.

On the training and capacity building of physiotherapists, he said the training of physiotherapy was initially available to Ghanaians in the UK, on mainly government scholarship and its assistants trained locally.