The Ho Teaching Hospital has issued a passionate appeal to individuals, organisations and stakeholders to intensify voluntary blood donation efforts to help save lives across the Volta Region.

The call was made during the 2026 annual blood donation exercise organised by MTN Ghana in collaboration with CalBank and the Ho Teaching Hospital. The event, held at Kpando Senior High School in Kpando in the Volta Region, was dubbed “Give Someone A Second Chance To Live.”

Speaking at the event, Senior Staff Nurse at the Blood Bank Unit of the Ho Teaching Hospital, Doris Esenam Dzah, highlighted the hospital’s worrying dependence on second-cycle institutions for blood donations.

“There is a challenge we have observed so far: the majority of voluntary blood donations come from secondary schools. That means that, when these secondary schools are not in session, that means there will not be any blood available. The blood will go bankrupt.”

She explained that during school vacations, blood stocks drop drastically, leaving the hospital vulnerable and unable to meet emergency demands.

According to her, the seasonal shortages threaten the lives of accident victims, pregnant women, children with severe anaemia, and patients undergoing surgeries.

Blood donor organiser, Ken Mensah, underscored the urgent need for increased voluntary blood donation across the region. He noted that with the Volta Region’s population standing at 1,742,806, a substantial and consistent blood supply is required to sustain healthcare delivery.

"Looking at the Volta region with a population of over 1.7 million, it needs over 180,000 units of blood to sustain the region. This can only be done through voluntary blood donations.”

He appealed to corporate bodies, faith-based organisations, civil society groups and individuals within and beyond the region to treat blood donation as a shared responsibility, stressing that blood remains one of the most critical resources required in hospitals.

Also speaking at the event, Mawuli Katahena, Regional Lead for MTN Volta and Oti, described the exercise as an act of love in line with Valentine’s Day celebrations.

He revealed that the telecommunications company aims to collect 250 pints of blood from the Volta and Oti Regions to replenish blood banks and support healthcare facilities. He added that the 2026 campaign was held simultaneously in over 47 locations nationwide, reinforcing MTN’s commitment to community development and lifesaving initiatives.

As donors lined up to give blood at Kpando Senior High School, the message was unmistakable: a blood bank without blood is indeed bankrupt, and preventing that crisis depends on collective community action.

Over the years, MTN Ghana’s annual blood donation exercise has evolved into one of the company’s flagship corporate social responsibility initiatives. Traditionally organised around Valentine’s Day, the campaign shifts attention from exchanging gifts to giving the gift of life.

What began as a modest initiative has grown into a nationwide movement, mobilising thousands of voluntary donors annually across multiple regions. Through partnerships with hospitals, schools and financial institutions such as CalBank, MTN has consistently helped replenish critically low blood stocks, particularly during periods when donations decline.