Away from their busy schedules and shifts, management of the Volta River Authority (VRA) Hospital in Akosombo, organized indoor games for the various units in the Hospital to mark the Founders’ Day, on August 4, 2023.
Held at the premises of the Hospital, Sister Bruce-Baiden Team, which comprises of staff working at the Emergency/OPD and Akuse Clinic unit of the Hospital emerged champions after amassing a total of 57 points from 6 competing games.
Sister Bruce-Baiden Team came 1st in Ludo, 1st in Draughts, 2nd in Oware but no place in Ampe, Table Tennis and Cards. They were closely followed by Sister Lamptey team with 52 points and then Mr Nkrumah Mills team with 44 points.
Apart from the 10 units that participated in the fun holiday games, corporate partners were invited to strengthen their bonds while socializing.
There was team Dr Acquah Arhin and team Dr Fiadoyor tied on 4th with 41 points, Dr Kwatchey at 6th with 35 points, as well as Dr Okoh and Sister Anita sharing the 7th spot with 33 points apiece. With 29 points was Dr Siaw at 9th, while Corporate Partners finished 10th with 17 points and at the bottom was Sister Attubra with just 8 points.
Team Bruce-Baiden lifted the giant trophy in style amidst jubilation, coupled with bragging rights, after their great performance.
Physician Assistant, Mrs Irene Oppong-Appiah who is in charge at the Akuse Clinic, is a member of Team Bruce-Baiden and she could not hide her joy.
“The feeling is great. We had to train and prepare ourselves for this Games. We had to train all night to have this great success. We have a lot of people in our unit with lots of talents, so we are all round; ludo, you see us, draughts you see us, oware you see us. We worked as a team too and that is how we got the Cup. The other units also did very well and we thank them for making us win it and we hope next year, we will train more and the challenge will be wow.”
Off course, ‘A healthy body leads to a healthy mind’ and ‘all work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy….’.
Medical Superintendent of the VRA Hospital is Dr Charles Arhinful, and he tells TalksenseSports, they will make this an annual event, after seeing the success, excitement among staff and results it has yielded.
“Hospital people are very busy people, we run shift system and we don’t get time to relax. So, last year during the Founders’ Day, we came together to organize fun games and it was so successful, therefore we decided to repeat it this year. The whole essence is to ensure, that staff get an opportunity to relax, to be able to engage each other. It will interest you to know that even though we work at the same Hospital, some of us don’t know others because we work in different units, we close and everybody is in a hurry to go home, and so we decided to do it here, so that people from the ward and other on duty can come and enjoy, and I think that it is a very good opportunity.”
“We also decided to engage other corporate organizations that are around us, Zenith, Hydro, Commercial bank and they all came and we shared some fun together and I think it will go a long way, not only to build the bond among us, but to release the stress we find ourselves in. For now, we decided that, every 4th August, we are going to run this activity. This year we have added more activities, we had Cricket, we had Badminton and FIFA Playstation, and so everyone had something doing.” He added.
The names of the various teams that competed in the games, are names of retired staff considered as trailblazers, who have played significant roles in the hospital.
However, some retired staff, including former medical superintendent Mr John Nkrumah Mills, who later became a medical doctor, were in attendance.
Surprisingly, some staff, especially Francisca, got really interested in Cricket and were stuck to it for long, as the Cricket Operations Officer of the Ghana Cricket Association, Prince Eugene King was in Akosombo for a Scoring and Umpiring refresher course.
Badminton and Scrabble were also played among some staff, but it was on a non-scoring basis. The excitement went wild, as Portia Ankutse outsmarted the only male, Eric Ocloo to win the musical chairs, also on a non-scoring basis.
Dr Fiadoyor’s team that finished 4th this year, won the first edition organised last year.
This memorable event chalked success through the Sponsorship and collaborative effort of the Welfare Committee and support from the Hospital’s Recreational and Leisure Committee, as there was variety of food and drinks to dine with.
The VRA Hospital, established in 1964 to safeguard the health and safety of VRA employees, families and dependents, has been of great service to the general public for many years now.
The VRA Hospital in Akosombo, aims at offering quality healthcare services at all times to their patients.
Almost all Specialist services are available including Obstetrics and Gynaecology, General Surgery, Physician Specialist, Dermatologist, Orthopaedic Surgery, Psychiatry, Ophthalmology, Urology, Oncology (particularly for Breast Cancer) among others.
Specialized clinics such as ENT, Physiotherapy, Dietary Therapy, Sickle cell clinic, Mental Health services are also available.
The hospital has a clean, serene environment conducive for quick recovery from any ailment after effective treatment from a well-motivated professional staff.
Visit the VRA Hospital whenever you or any relative is unwell and make it your first choice.
By: Davis Nii Attuquaye Clottey
