SKIMS, GMCs told to prepare donor list
Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, July 7: Aiming at treating the COVID-19 positive patients and with blood plasma therapy showing promising results, the Government of J&K is all set to establish Plasma Banks in Jammu as well as in Srinagar.
In this regard, the Director Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, Principal, Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar and Jammu have been asked to prepare a list of the patients who have recovered from COVID-19 and are willing to donate their blood plasma.
“We are planning to do it; in Srinagar, the process has rather already started and some patients have donated their plasma; the administrators have been asked to speed up the process of preparing the list of donors,” Financial Commissioner, Health & Medical Education (H&ME) Atal Dulloo told Excelsior.
There will be two separate Plasma Banks, one in Jammu-exclusively for the patients in the Jammu region and another one in Srinagar-for the patients from Kashmir valley.
“There have to be two separate banks one in Srinagar and another one in Jammu-given the nature of the process, the transportation of plasma is going to be a challenging job. So those from Jammu will get in Jammu and those from Kashmir will get it in Srinagar,” he said.
Notably, the process of donating the plasma has already begun in Srinagar where a few patients have donated their plasma and a couple of patients have undergone plasma therapy at SKIMS, Soura as well.
Earlier, the doctors had pitched for the need of having Plasma Banks in J&K amid COVID-19 for treating the positive cases by the plasma donated by the patients who recovered from the infection.
Meanwhile today, renowned Urologist at SKIMS, Soura, Dr Saleem Wani donated his plasma for the treatment of COVID-19 a positive patient admitted at SKIMS. Dr Wani was earlier tested positive for COVID-19 and later recovered from the virus.
“Plasma therapy is showing good results and is proving a good way of fighting the COVID-19, especially bringing down the number of deaths caused by the COVID-19,” a doctor told Excelsior.
It is pertinent to mention here, that the plasma therapy involves transfusing plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 into people who are still struggling with the virus.
“Blood of people recovered from the infection contain antibodies, while the antibodies are molecules that have learned to recognize and fight the pathogens, such as viruses, that have caused disease, thus paving a way for the cure of a patient who is struggling with the infection,” a doctor said while explaining what plasma therapy is.
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