The Ghana Football Association is working closely with the National Ambulance Service to put in measures to help check and deal with cardiac issues of players during matches in the country.

Cardiac issues has engulfed the sport in recent times in the wake of Fabrice Muamba's collapse during an English FA Cup game.

Such cases have led to fatalities in the past. From Marc-Vivien Foe's in 2003 to Kessben FC's 19-year-old Bartholomew Opoku's death in March 2010. Both collapsed and died while playing the game.

The GFA's Medical Committee has been studying cardiac arrest cases and have moved to help deal with the situation by teeming up with the National Ambulance Service to ensure the provision of a defibrillator at matches in Ghana.

"Just last week we wrote to the National Ambulance Service over this. We want to ensure that we are well covered in this area," Dr. Prince Pambo, a member of the GFA's Medical Committee told GHANA FOOTBALL.

"Ghana has some of these facilities in some of the ambulances in the country and we will soon be reaching an agreement on how this should be deployed."

Through FIFA's F-MARC programme, the Ghana Football Association has been addressing a variety of other medical issues over the years.

Beginning 2012, the Ghana Football Association introduced medical assessment of all registered players, which consisted of screening for health risks prior to their participation in any competition.

A medical assessment, the Pre-Competition Medical Assessment - PCMA, has been set up by the GFA in conjunction with Fifa.

Ghana was the second African nation after Algeria to implement the F-MARC computerized system which assesses the general physical examination of the heart, lungs, spine, ankles, knees, and hips, as well as blood analysis and a comprehensive cardiac examination of any player.

Club doctors and the GFA's medical committee together have to approve the health status of any player before a license is granted an athlete to compete.

The programme's feasibility was tested on all players who participated in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.