The Jos University Teaching Hospital’s Chief Medical Diretor’s Annual Staff Tournament will unify and build cordiality among the hospital’s members of staff, the CMD, Dr Pokop Bupwatda, has said

Mr Bupwatda had declared the maiden edition of the two-week tournament open on Tuesday in Jos, Plateau State.

He said the games were aimed at breaking the walls of hostility between the various professional groups for a harmonious working relationship in the hospital, as sports often played an important role in unifying people.

According to the CMD, besides unifying people, the tournament will also help in promoting a culture of exercise to encourage hospital staff to stay healthy.

He said the competition, scheduled for between November 21 and December 5, was being held in the spirit of sportsmanship, and participants would go home with trophies and cash rewards.

Earlier, Director of Medical Laboratory Services, JUTH and Chairman of the Tournament Committee, , Obisesan Oluwatuyi, commended the management of the hospital for organising the games.

Mr Oluwatuyi said the tournament would promote friendliness and cordiality as members of the staff of the institution from all the departments would be involved.

According to him, the tournament was organised to encourage healthy lifestyles among personnel of the facility, as most people lead sedentary lifestyles.

Mr Oluwatuyi urged all members of staff to participate and that those who were not participating should not use the game as an excuse to be away from work because there were rules and the committee intended to follow them.

He, however, assured all participants that the committee would be firm and fair in applying the rules of the game.

A staff member of the Dietetics department, Afiniki Igwe, who expressed excitement over the prospects of the tournament, commended the management and appealed for the programme’s sustainability.

The tournament had both indoor and outdoor games such as badminton, chess, ludo, card games, scrabble, volleyball, football, table tennis and trekking.

(NAN)