State council to provide data on plasma donations on SBTC website

After the state government encountered cases of illegal sale of blood plasma, the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC), will now provide the information on blood

After the state government encountered cases of illegal sale of blood plasma, the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC), will now provide the information on blood banks that store plasma on their website. So far, King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital, Parel, has submitted data of ten plasma donors to the council.

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On Monday, state cyber cell in a statement revealed that owing to the paucity of plasma donors, some potential donors reportedly contacted relatives of patients and offered plasma in exchange for lakhs of rupees. To address such issues, SBTC has decided to make a centralised data of donors from all the blood banks.

“We have received directives from the National Blood Transfusion Council to compile data of plasma donations, to keep a check on any illegal business during the pandemic. Once we receive data from all blood banks, we will publish it online so that patients in need of convalescent plasma therapy and hospitals can procure the plasma without the involvement of any middleman,” said Dr Arun Thorat, director of SBTC.

Individuals infected with Sars-Cov-2— the virus that causes Covid-19 develops antibodies as part of the body’s natural immune response to the foreign pathogen. This antibody invades pathogens and works to eliminate the novel coronavirus in patients. During convalescent plasma therapy, these antibodies are infused into the blood of the Covid-19 patients to help to fight against the virus.

Owing to lockdown, several blood banks are faced with acute shortage of staff which is obstructing compilation of data. At KEM Hospital’s blood bank, only 11 of the 19 employees are working currently.

“Many of our employees reside in far-off areas like Nallasopara or Vasai who aren’t regularly coming to the hospital. Also, some staffers are quarantined at home after getting exposed to infected patients in their localities. We are struggling with a manpower crunch,” said a blood bank officer from the hospital.

At KEM Hospital, ten recovered patients have donated blood for plasma therapy of critically-ill Covid-19 patients. At BYL Nair Hospital and Lokmanya Tilak General Hospital, which is also known as Sion Hospital, 70 and 15 cured patients have donated blood.

To collect data, SBTC issued a notice on Monday to all the blood banks across the state seeking data of the donors. “So far, we have received data from KEM Hospital, while other blood banks are in the process of compiling data,” said Dr Thorat.

Every day, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) receives around 25 calls on their helpline number seeking blood from recovered Covid-19 patients for plasma therapy. “Plasma therapy is given only to patients who are critically ill. But often relatives of Covid-19 patients get concerned and start hunting for blood of cured patients. The scammers take advantage of their fear and try to siphon off money from them,” said Suresh Kakani, additional commissioner, BMC.

On Monday, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) wrote to the state government to make blood donation from cured patients mandatory under the provisions of the Epidemic Act 1897.

“To facilitate this procedure, a mandatory undertaking can be secured from all patients to report on the 15th day after the discharge or recovery. Thereafter, they will be tested for fitness to donate blood. A separate plasma bank may be formed for the procedure at every place with the help of blood banks operating in the public and private sectors,” said Dr Avinash Bhondwe, president of the IMA of the Maharashtra wing.