Tema, June 10, GNA – The Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) has inaugurated its District Health Committee and the District Sports Unit to see to the development and promotion of health and sporting activities respectively in the Metropolis.
Mr Frank Asante, TMA Public Relations Officer, speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Tema on the need for setting up such committees, said they were statutory committees every district was mandated to constitute.
Mr Asante said the Ghana Health Service and Teaching Hospitals Act, 1996, ACT 252 enjoined each district in the country to appoint a District Health Committee with membership drawn from the health sector, the Assembly, traditional council, and faith-based organizations.
He said similarly, the Sports Act, 2016 (ACT 934) also required that each Assembly shall have a District Sports Unit, as part of the Education, Youth and Sports Department with representation from the Ghana Education Service (GES), District Sports Directorate, and persons nominated by the district chief executive.
On the mandates of the committees, he said the Health Committee would advise the assembly on issues relating to health.
He added that members of the Committee would make sure that health institutions in the Metropolis delivered standard health services.
He said they were also to come up with preventive strategies instead of reactive ones to help the Metropolis to prevent the spread of communicable diseases, epidemics, and pandemics such as COVID-19 among others.
Mr Asante noted that members of the District Sports Unit, on their part were mandated to ensure that all sports activities and facilities in the Metropolis were well-coordinated, adding that such facilities included stadia, parks, and recreational facilities.
He added that the unit would also coordinate sporting events and advise the Assembly on ways they could promote sports for the benefit of the Metropolis.
The PRO said members of the committee were also to come up with innovative strategies that could unearth more talents, not just football, but also other sporting disciplines such as athletes, boxing, taekwondo, swimming, and indoor games, among others.
He said the need for the promotion of sport was important as it brings society together and keeps the youth occupied preventing them from getting involved in unacceptable behaviours.
Meanwhile, Mr. Yohane Amarh Ashitey, the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive expressed gratitude to members of the two committees for availing themselves to serve the Metropolis.
Mr. Ashitey, who inaugurated the committees, also encouraged members to come out with innovative ways of planning, having in mind the limited resources available to the Assembly and the need for quality but cost-effective ways of discharging their mandates.
GNA