Mrs. Mercy Nketia-Kyere, the Head of the Physiotherapy Department at the Tema General Hospital, has launched two books to mark her 50th birthday celebration. The books are titled 'Understanding Physiotherapy in Ghana: A Practitioner's Perspective' and 'Hope after Stroke: A Guide for All' are respectively aimed at keeping healthcare professionals updated on the latest version of physiotherapy, improving patient quality of life, mobility, and overall well-being, and improving the lives of stroke patients. Mrs. Nkatia-Kyere, who is also the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Wellink Physiotherapy Services at Sakumono, explained that the book on physiotherapy also addressed misconceptions and touched on the history of physiotherapy in Ghana and other salient information needed about the physiotherapy field. She said physiotherapy started in Ghana in the 1940s when a British physiotherapist named Mrs. Price introduced it at Korle-Bu and arranged for a male nurse to be sent to the United Kingdom for tr aining. She further said that the government later sponsored some Ghanaians to Romania and other countries, of which she has been a beneficiary, adding that it led to the teaching of physiotherapy in most of the universities with the hope of having all tertiary levels of education train more physiotherapists in the country. Mrs. Nkatia-Kyere, who also provides consultant services at Raphael Medical Centre, further said physiotherapists played an important role in the healthcare system, saying their work entailed assessment, review, setting of goals, exercise therapy, soft tissue manipulation, electrotherapy, collaboration, patient education, among others. She emphasised that there was a need for the authorities to implement a working system, particularly a shift system for workers to leverage their services, as it could improve productivity and physical functions, reduce absenteeism, boost energy levels, and much more among Ghanaians. Touching on 'Hope After Stroke; a Hope for All,' she mentioned that the book would raise people's consciousness about the condition and provide valuable information on risk factors, management, prevention, recovery strategies, and a lot more for improved outcomes. Mrs. Nkatia-Kyere said stroke was highly preventable by managing risk factors and changing lifestyles, including controlling high blood pressure, as it was one of the major causes of stroke, maintaining a healthy diet, and regular exercise, among others. 'If someone as young as 23 has a stroke, there should be hope for that person because that person should go back to work and be able to walk,' she stated. The author urged Ghanaians to seek health providers' advice before taking herbs for their health conditions and advised the youth to pray and work hard. Source: Ghana News Agency