The Arunachal Pradesh unit of Indian Medical Association (IMA-AP) will organize a plasma donation drive at the Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS) in Naharlagun from November 23-28.
Announcing this on Friday, IMA-AP president Dr Lobsang Tsetim said “considering the surge in the number of Covid19 cases in Arunachal, plasma donation is the need of the hour as plasma therapy would help improve the recovery rate and reduce Covid19 related mortalities in the state”.
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Addressing a news conference at the Press Club, Itanagar, Dr Tsetim appealed to all who have recently recovered from Covid19 to come forward for the donation.
Dr Lobsang lamented that only 8 out of 14,800 recovered patients have so far come forward and donated their plasma.
“There can be no greater humanitarian gesture than donating your plasma which can possibly help save lives,” he said while adding that Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu has promised to give recognition to the donors.
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IMA-AP general secretary Dr Jego Ori while terming the plasma therapy as ‘therapeutic treatment’ informed that “one plasma can save at least two lives”.
“A recovered patient can donate plasma once every 15 days and up to two months after discharge,” he said.
Dr Ori said plasma therapy involves taking antibodies from the blood of a person who has recovered from Covid19 and transfusing those antibodies into a patient to kick start his or her immune system.
“Plasma contains a specific neutralizing antibody that removes pathogens, and possibly stops the virus from combining with the cell surface receptor, further stopping the disease’s progression,” he added.
Dr Ori said those individuals who have completed two months or a minimum of 28 days of their recovery process (both symptomatic and asymptomatic) and are in the age group of 18 to 60 are eligible for plasma donation.
Pregnant and lactating women, patients with active infections, having some heart conditions, patients who have had an organ transplant, etc. are, however, not eligible to donate.
Dr Ori further informed that the registration for the donation drive has already started and interested individuals can enroll their names by calling @ 9402782869, 7628977650 and 9436069257.