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GMC Patiala gets Punjab’s first plasma bank
Medical education and research minister OP Soni to inaugurate it on Tuesday
Moving closer to effectively fighting Covid-19, Punjab will get its first plasma bank at Patiala with OP Soni, medical education and research minister, inaugurating it at the Government Medical College and Hospital here.
The college, which has successfully trialled convalescent plasma therapy, will now have a fully functional plasma bank.
Patients recovering from Covid-19 have antibodies (proteins to fight infections) to the disease in their blood. Plasma, the liquid portion of the blood, from people who have recovered from the disease is called convalescent plasma.
Earlier the college administration was sending blood samples of recovered patients to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, for plasma.
Dr Harjinder Singh, principal, GMC Patiala said, “Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had given its permission to conduct trial of plasma therapy at college and we have successfully achieved the target. Now we will have state’s first plasma bank. We have enough people... who will donate plasma after the inauguration of the bank.”
Dr RPS Sibiu, professor and head, department of medicine, in charge of trial process of plasma therapy, said, “The ICMR had given a target of 10 patients for plasma therapy in the state and we had contributed in five therapies. We already have facility of plasma storage and the equipment and machines”.
Patients can donate their plasma 28 days after recovery and up to four months.
“Around 15 donors are ready to donate their plasma and we are also encouraging other recovered patients to come forward for this purpose,” said Dr Harish Malhotra, civil surgeon Patiala.
