Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Nov 20: To meet the shortage of plasma, which is the need of the hour, the Indian Medical Association’s Arunachal chapter (IMA-AP) will be organizing a plasma donation drive at the Tomo Riba Institute of Health & Medical Sciences (TRIHMS) in Naharlagun this month.
Addressing media persons at the press club here on Friday, IMA-AP president Dr Lobsang Tsetim informed that the plasma donation drive will be held from 23 November to 28 November.
Appealing to the Covid-19 survivors to volunteer for the donation, Dr Tsetim said that providing humanitarian aid by donating plasma would help the doctors in winning the battle against Covid-19.
“Plasma donation is the need of the hour, considering the surging cases in the state. Plasma donation for convalescent plasma therapy is to improve the recovery rate and reduce mortalities in the state,” Dr Tsetim said, adding that “it is also an obligation to humanity and would contribute a bit in combating the virus.”
He informed that, out of 14,800 patients, only eight recovered patients in the state have so far come forward and donated their plasma. “Others are afraid of getting re-infected by the virus, which is a misconception among them,” Dr Tsetim said.
He said that Chief Minister Pema Khandu has also promised to recognize the donors with awards.
Meanwhile, IMA-AP general secretary Dr Jego Ori said that plasma is used in “therapeutic treatment to kill the virus.” He informed that one plasma unit can save two lives at a time. A recovered patient can donate once every 15 days upto two months after discharge.
“The therapy includes extracting the plasma from the recovered person’s blood after 28 days of their recovery date and infusing it into a Covid-19 patient, as it contains a specific neutralizing antibody that removes pathogens and could possibly stop the virus from combining with the cell surface receptor, further stopping the disease progression,” he said.
Dr Ori added that individuals, both symptomatic and asymptomatic, who have completed two months or minimum 28 days of recovery and are in the age group of 18 to 60 years, mostly males, and females who have not conceived yet, are eligible to be donors.
The registration for the drive has started, and interested individuals may enroll their names through the following numbers: 94027 82869, 76289 77650 and 94360 69257.
