Covid-19: AAP protests against Punjab govt's decision to sell plasma

Harpal Singh Cheema, the Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Dirba, has called for a state-wide strike on Friday in protest against the Punjab government decision to sell plasma units from its plasma bank to private hospitals.

"The government's decision to sell the plasma of recovered patients to private hospitals at Rs 20,000 a unit is wrong. The state is literally sucking the blood of its people," he said.

He said this would put a heavy burden on patients who are affected by the virus.

"The Captain has disappointed all of us," he said. "We understand that the state treasury is strained due to paucity of funds. But this is not the way to fill state coffers," he said.

He said AAP condemned this move as a violation of human rights. He implored Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to revoke this decision.

The Punjab government had opened its first plasma bank in Patiala two weeks ago.

The bank was to collect plasma samples from patients who recovered from COVID19 which would help in treating affected patients. However, the bank barely got any plasma donors when it opened for operations.

The Amarinder Singh government announced on Thursday that plasma would be provided free of cost to all those in need.

Punjab, like the rest of the country, is reeling from the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the state has 4,372 active cases as of today.