Delhi to get its second plasma bank

NEW DELHI: The capital is all set to get another plasma bank to help Covid-19 patients with moderate symptoms source the crucial component from the recovered novel coronavirus patients.

The new plasma bank, which is coming up in east Delhi’s GTB Hospital, is likely to become functional next week. AAP legislator Dilip Pandey, who is helping the government set up the bank, said the final approval from Drug Controller General of India was awaited to make it operational.

The new bank will initially have one plasmapheresis machine, which has been installed and tested. Pandey said more machines could be installed later as per requirement.

The first plasma bank in the city was opened on July 2 at Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences in south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj with three machines. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday spoke to a few plasma donors and thanked them for taking the step.

While the requirement of plasma has been increasing day by day considering that the convalescent plasma (CP) therapy has proved to be successful in faster recovery of patients with moderate symptoms, there is a huge gap between demand and supply.

While the existing bank gets over 20 requests for plasma every day, donations are not more than 10-12 per day. Till date, the ILBS plasma bank has recovered over 100 donations. In view of this, the government has made it mandatory for all patients requiring plasma to bring a donor along for replacement.

Pandey said apart from fear of again falling ill, the recovered patients often didn’t go for donation as the only bank is located in south Delhi and was far from many parts of the city. “This GTB bank will cater to a large population living in east and north Delhi,” he said.

On if donors will like to come to GTB Hospital as it treats Covid-19 patients, Pandey said the bank had been set up in an isolated corner where no other person from the hospital was allowed.

Pandey said a person eligible to donate plasma would have to call the helpline number to register his request and express the preference of the bank where he/she would like to make the donation. “Like ILBS, anyone donating plasma at GTB will also be reimbursed the travelling expenses and given the certificate of appreciation signed by CM Arvind Kejriwal,” he added.

A plasma bank collects the blood component from an “eligible” recovered Covid patient. It is later infused in a patient through the convalescent plasma therapy. It helps bringing respiratory rate of a moderate Covid-19 patient into control and increases oxygen saturation rate apart from stabilising various other factors, reducing the stay in ICU and hospital and improving the recovery chances.

Meanwhile, after thanking plasma donors, the chief minister shared the audio of his conversations with them on Twitter. “When I hear stories of plasma donors, I feel very proud of my fellow Delhiites. So I decided to call and congratulate some donors. Do listen in to my conversation with plasma donors Srishti and Bhumika,” he tweeted.