The Mfantseman-Saltpond Development Alliance (MSDA), a community-led development group, has cut the sod for the construction of a sustainable water project for the Saltpond Municipal Hospital to resolve persistent water challenges at the health facility.
Perennial water shortage has been the bane of the ancient hospital for ages, affecting the delivery of quality health care, sanitation, and attendance.
As the referral centre for the Mfantseman Municipality serving more than 125,000 residents, the Hospital is sometimes forced to refer patients to other facilities.
Relatives of inpatients are sometimes compelled to carry water to the hospital owing to the severity of the water situation.
But patients and staff of the Hospital can now have a sigh of relief because the solar-powered project, which has already began, will provide the hospital with a permanent and self-sufficient water supply system to improve service delivery.
The project includes the drilling of underground water sources, installation of high-capacity storage tanks, and an electrical pumping and boosting system fully integrated into the hospital’s existing water distribution network.
The water system is being constructed as a legacy project for the Alliance’s maiden Saltpond Homecoming Festival on the theme: “Rebuilding, reconnecting, rising together.”

Mr Ernest Egyir De-Graft, the President of the Alliance, highlighting the importance of water to health care, expressed the hope that the project would permanently transform the delivery of health care in the Municipality.
He explained that the water system would guarantee a reliable, clean, and continuous water supply to sustain healthcare services.
“This is what community leadership looks like when citizens come together to solve their own challenges rather than wait for others to act.
“This initiative is a testament to what unity and purpose can achieve,” he noted, adding that when people shared a vision, gave their resources, and acted in faith, transformation became inevitable.
Mr De-Graft expressed gratitude to all members of the MSDA, both at home and abroad, for supporting the project, and assured that the homecoming festival would be celebrated every year, pledging a new project for each year.
Mr Paul Amponsah Agyakwa, the Administrator of the hospital, described the project as a timely intervention, recounting the struggles of the facility over the years.
He recalled that from October 2024 to March 2025, water scarcity reached its peak, compelling patients carry water along with them to the hospital while many others were referred.

It also took a dire toll on the finances of the hospital as more than GHS4,000 was spent every week on water purchases.
“Sometimes, you have the money, and you might not even get water to buy and it affected service delivery,” he said.
Mr Agyakwa was hopeful that the project would fully resolve the situation and the confidence of the community in the hospital.
“We are grateful to the Mfantseman-Saltpond Development Alliance for this project, and we are hoping that it will go a long way to support quality service delivery for the people of Mfantseman and Saltpond,” he stated.
Aside from the water challenges, the Administrator also appealed for the renovation and expansion of the hospital to befit its status as a municipal hospital.
Madam Gifty Ankrah, the Mfantseman Municipal Director of Health, also joined the hospital to thank the Alliance for the project.
“When cholera broke here, it was a devastating situation because our main challenge has been water.
“You have really saved us, and we are very grateful,” she stressed.