The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) has marked its 70th anniversary with inter-directorate games to promote staff wellness, teamwork and institutional cohesion.
The games, held at the Paa Joe Stadium of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), formed part of activities to commemorate the hospital’s seven decades of service to the nation.
Staff from the various directorates competed in football, volleyball, table tennis, track events, pick-and-drop and other indoor games, with some attending the event with their families.
Dr Paa Kwesi Baidoo, Chief Executive Officer of KATH, said the inclusion of sporting activities in the anniversary programme was to provide staff with an opportunity to exercise and promote their physical well-being.
He said healthcare workers often had demanding schedules, which left them with limited opportunities to engage in regular physical exercise.
“As a health institution, we provide healthcare services and exercises or sports go with health. As an institution, as we celebrate our 70th anniversary, we deemed it fit to organise such activities to enable all our staff to exercise,” Dr Baidoo said.
He said the initiative formed part of the hospital’s broader efforts to promote a healthy workforce, adding that staff well-being was important for the effective delivery of healthcare services.
Dr Yaw Opare Larbie, Deputy Medical Director of KATH and Chairman of the 70th Anniversary Operational Committee, said the games were particularly significant as they provided an opportunity for staff from different directorates to interact outside their routine work environment.
He said KATH, with more than 6,000 staff, had employees working in different areas of the hospital who might not ordinarily have the opportunity to interact with one another.
“Activities such as this bring us together. We get to make new friends, and this is important for teamwork and cohesion. When we are united in the hospital, it makes us more efficient,” he said.
Dr Opare Larbie said the sporting activities also encouraged staff to become more conscious of their health and adopt healthier lifestyles.
He expressed satisfaction with the level of participation, saying the presence of staff and their families created an atmosphere of camaraderie and strengthened the sense of belonging among members of the hospital community.
In the football competition, Team H, comprising staff from the Supply Chain Management, Medicine, Diet Therapy and Domestic Services directorates, emerged winners after defeating Team A 3-0 in the final.
Winners, first runners-up and second runners-up in the various disciplines received medals in recognition of their performances.
The hospital’s 70th anniversary celebrations were launched in December 2025, the year it attained the milestone.
Activities commemorating the anniversary are continuing throughout 2026 to celebrate the hospital’s seven decades of healthcare delivery and engage its staff and stakeholders.
GNA
