Plasma collection evokes lukewarm response

Dehradun: The plasma collection has evoked a lukewarm response from the donors--the people who have won their covid-19 battle and living a healthy life- in Uttarakhand as majority of patients and their families are unwilling and prefer to stay away from hospitals after recovery.

The hill state has over 53,359 total positive cases and 44,535 total recovered cases of the covid-19 which makes the plasma therapy a possible option for saving more lives but it is not happening at the ground level.

In August, this year AIIMS Rishikesh had set up a plasma collection centre where over 70 collections have been made from the covid-19 patients which speaks volumes about people's mindset.

On Friday, a social worker Pratibha Pandey, made frantic calls to find people for the plasma collection for a covid-19 patient Vinay Nand Saklani who is at ICU of the AIIMS, Rishikesh.

Speaking with the Millennium Post, Pandey said, "The majority of recovered patients and their families have little interest in the plasma collection and this has become a big stumbling block for tapping the potential of the therapy in Uttarakhand."

The state has over 7849 total active covid-19 cases and the doubling rate of 56.29

days.

A senior doctor at the state government hospital said, "People must be made aware about the importance of the plasma collection in fighting against the pandemic till the time the vaccine is invented and made available in the market."

All the covid-19 patients are undergoing the treatment as per the protocol set by the union health ministry.

Head of Transfusion Medical, AIIMS, Rishikesh, Dr Geeta Negi said, "Initially, our staff, doctors and nurses, voluntarily gave their plasma at the centre which was administered to patients. The plasma donation from outsiders has not yet kicked off in a big

way."

One plasma collection is of 500 ml and it is split into two units of 250 ml each, and can be administered to two patients depending on the dose set by the doctors. The clinical result on the recovery of patients after the plasma therapy is

awaited.

AIIMS, spokesperson, told that covid-19 patients are flooding the premiere hospital for treatment but those recovered from the deadly virus attack are not keen to donate plasma. " At the AIIMS we are getting plasma collection from defense personnel and through a few NGO only which is insufficient for the large number of patients we have."