The workshop, marked the first International Team Physician Course (ITPC), to be held in the Sub-Saharan region with about 50 participants from within and outside the country.

The workshop organised with funding from the Ghanaian Doctors and Dentist Association in the United Kingdom (GDDA-UK), begun from November 26 – November 29 and was organised for health professionals, professional workers, physical activity instructors, physical education instructors and fellowship candidates.

Professor Jacob Plange-Rhule, Rector for the GCPS in his address at the closing ceremony of the workshop said, the training underlined the vision of the College to see to the improvement of sports medicine and rehabilitation medicine in Ghana.

“We have heard about Juju in sports, a lot of people blame their injuries on all sort of things, but we want to bring the science of this subject area out and improve the skills of people who practice in this area,” he said.

He urged participants to put to practice what they have learnt during the period

Dr Anthony Annan, ITPC Course Organiser and a Sports, Exercise, and Musculoskeletal Physician in the UK said he was motivated to come up with the course because there were no locally trained Sports Medicine Physician.

“We have about four Sports Medicine Physicians in Ghana, but sadly all of them were trained abroad. But what happens after they leave, there will be nothing on the ground.  The only thing we will have is doctors in sports which are not good enough. We need doctors trained in sports, exercise and rehabilitation medicine to cover all athletes and everybody who is exercising,” Dr Annan noted.

He said Sports Medicine was limited to the elite sports in the country and therefore, there were plans by the GDDA-UK to help create an umbrella association like the ACSM to help improve the quality of sports medicine. He said, there would continue to organise the course to engulf more trained physicians in the area.

Dr Suzanne Hecht, Chair of the ACSM ITPC Faculty, underscored that, participants were taken through International Team Physician curriculum from practising countries, as well as, Team Physician Course curriculum in the United States.

She said, her team was happy with the level of enthusiasm from the participants, adding that it was a great start for the beginning of Sports Medicine in Ghana.

Participants were presented with certificates for successfully completing the course.