Mfantseman MP ends Saltpond Hospital water crisis

Dr Ebenezer Prince Kojo Arhin, the Member of Parliament for Mfantseman, has resolved the water crisis that had left Saltpond Hospital without running water for nearly nine months. This crisis had crippled the hospital, the second oldest in Ghana and the main referral center for Mfantseman, and posed significant infection prevention and control risks.

The source of the problem was heavy siltation of the river feeding the Baifikrom Water Works and an old, weak pumping machine. Dr Arhin had prepared a plan to dredge the river and replace the pump in 2021, but the project was abandoned due to cost and lack of funding. After the 2024 elections, he took action and lobbied the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Charities) to fund the project.

As part of the solution, an estimate to dredge the river and install a new heavy-duty pumping machine was carried out in the municipality, while a mechanized borehole fitted with a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system was installed at the hospital to treat saline water into WHO-standard drinking water. This intervention has eliminated the need for nurses to use sachet water for deliveries and reduced infection risks in both theatre and maternity services.

The Medical Superintendent of Saltpond Government Hospital, Dr John Moses Wereku, lauded Dr Arhin for his timely intervention, which has ended a serious water crisis that had plagued the facility for far too long.