Kalyan-Dombivli blood banks in need of plasma donors

Nearly 94 per cent of the 52,000-plus total number of Covid cases in Kalyan-Dombivli have recovered. However, not even one per cent of those recovered have donated

Nearly 94 per cent of the 52,000-plus total number of Covid cases in Kalyan-Dombivli have recovered. However, not even one per cent of those recovered have donated their plasma till date.

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As per the data with Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the three blood banks in Dombivli have collected 429 plasmas till October 19. From the donated plasma, a total of 846 bags were prepared and 815 of these have already been issued for therapy.

As on October 19, the stock of plasma bags available with the three blood banks in Kalyan Dombivli was only 31.

According to the Maharashtra state government records, the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KMDC) has recorded 52,500 Covid cases.

Dr Pratibha Panpatil, KDMC epidemic officer, said, “Earlier, people hesitated to donate plasma due to lack of awareness. Now-a-days, most youngsters are voluntarily doing it but the response is still low.

One major reason for this is the criteria for donation i.e. not every recovered patient can donate the plasma. There are criteria for age, the count of antibody and also previous medical condition of the recovered patient.

The KDMC, along with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and social media group – It’s All About Kalyan – initiated an online plasma collection drive in September. This saw merely 50 donors.

Jaydeep Hajare, an advocate who initiated the drive, said, “The drive was aimed at preparing a bank of plasma so that a Covid patient can reach out to the blood banks and get the desired plasma within a short time. Even though 50 people have registered through the drive, we have managed around 100 donations till now. However, this needs to increase in the coming days to save the lives of Covid patients,” added Hajare.

Even today, several Covid patients’ relatives search for matching plasma for 3-4 days continuously. Sumant Mahale, 32, lost his 64-year-old father, a retired railway employee a month ago after battling the virus for 23 days.

Mahale said, “I had to search for donors for five days and finally I found one that matched my father’s blood group. But, it was too late for the therapy. There was no plasma in blood bank and we had to call up random donors through our contacts. This was very challenging.”

Thirty-six-year old Rahul Gaikwad, a Dombivli-based doctor who survived Covid-19 virus after a week-long hospitalisation, has donated his plasma twice after his recovery. He is now planning to do it again for the third time just to pass on a message to other recovered patients to come forward and donate their plasma to help treat the Covid patients in need.

Gaikwad said, “I have worked in the frontline, treating a number of Covid patients in Dombivli since the beginning. When I contracted the virus and recovered, the only thing I had in mind was to help others recover. It takes only 45 minutes to donate and it does not harm the donor in anyway.”

He added that there was lot of stigma attached to the donation due to which people don’t come forward.

The plasma donation has also helped a few. Atul Angre, 46 a civil engineer from Thane, said, “Both my father and mother were hospitalised with Covid infection while I was home quarantined with other family members. I could not go out when doctor told me plasma was required for their treatment. Luckily, I got plasma through patients who donated it at blood banks for my parents’ treatment. My father survived while my mother succumbed to the illness as she had other health issues too.”

How to register:

** Donors have to share their name, blood group and address so that they can be contacted.

** The details can be registered at the link https://forms.gle/t3pBb6kTrZCj87b8A.

** For details call 0251-2211373 or 9323042121.