KGMU planning to set up plasma bank to treat COVID patients

The King George Medical University is planning to set up a 'Plasma Bank' to treat its COVID-19 patients.

KGMU announced its tentative plan to set up the plasma bank on Tuesday when the Union Health Ministry said the plasma therapy currently is only at an experimental stage and there was no evidence yet to support that it can be used to cure COVID-19 patients.

"KGMU is the first government medical college in the state, where Plasma Therapy started on Sunday, KGMU Vice-Chancellor, Prof M L B Bhatt told PTI on Tuesday.

Till now, our three COVID-19 patients have recovered and their plasma is available with us. Of these, the plasma of one cured COVID- patient has been used, he said.

We are now counselling other patients, who have recovered from this disease, to donate their plasma so that lives of other patients could be saved," he added.

"We want people who have recovered from the disease to donate their plasma, so that we can build a Plsam Bank at the KGMU, Prof Bhatt said.

Through this bank, plasma will be made available to COVID-19 patients in other parts of the state, he added.

"The plasma bank will be similar to Blood Bank. We only want that there should be adequate quantity of plasma," Bhatt said.

KGMUs Head of Department of Transfusion Medicine, Dr Tulika Chandra said, "Plasma extracted from any COVID-19 patient can be preserved for a period of one year at -40 degree Celsius. Till now, three COVID-19 patients have recovered. One female doctor donated her plasma, which was administered to another doctor.

Till now, as many as 12 COVID-19 patients have recovered at KGMU," she added.

"We are now explaining the importance of donating plasma to the rest of the cured COVID-19 patients, so that they can give the fluid for the treatment of other patients.