On Saturday, September 19, 2026, the stethoscopes are going down, the white coats are being hung and the sports boots are coming out at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH).
Staff members across its directorates and units are set to put on their sports gear and converge at the Paa Joe Stadium at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in their number for the much-anticipated Inter-Directorate Fun Games being held as part of the activities marking the hospital's 70th anniversary celebrations.
As the whistle blows at Paa Joe Park this Saturday, the men and women who “mend broken bodies and soothe troubled minds” are ready to chase a different kind of victory under the open sky. All the 16 clinical and non-clinical directorates and 18 units of the hospital have been grouped into eight (8) teams to compete for the ultimate prizes in football, table tennis, volleyball, basketball, 100m and 4x100m relay among others.
The competition will be fierce yet friendly, and constitute a momentary pause in the daily battle against diseases, a chance for the staff to bond and deepen camaraderie, fitness and the celebrate the enduring spirit that has kept KATH serving millions for seventy remarkable years.
Dr. Yaw Opare Larbi, Deputy Medical Director and chairman of the Operational Committee of the 70th Anniversary Planning Committee of the hospital, noted that one significant aspect of the games was that it has been designed not only to allow staff members to have a good time with their colleague but also their family members.
“A number of indoor games and activities including draughts, cards, bouncing castle and face painting have also been included to provide staff who wants to bring along their families or children to have exciting time at the games”, he stated.
KATH is celebrating its 70th anniversary under the theme “70 Years of impacting lives: Celebrating the past, repositioning for the future,” and throughout the year, it has rolled out a series of activities including free medical outreach programmes, public lectures, fund-raising events and awards ceremonies to highlight its impressive contributions to the provision of specialist clinical services, training and research in the country.
The anniversary’s climax is expected to coincide with the completion and inauguration of the multi-million-dollar Specialist Cardiac Interventional Centre currently under construction at the hospital by the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, also known as MahamaCares later in the year.
Which team wins the anniversary fund-games and claim the bragging rights remains to be seen, but one thing is certain, when the final whistle sounds, the real winners will be the patients who would benefit from a refreshed, united and revitalised workforce ready to return to the wards with renewed energy.
