Punjab conducts its first plasma therapy successfully

Chandigadh: Punjab on Friday successfully performed its first convalescent plasma therapy on a critically ill Covid-19 patient at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College & Hospital, Faridkot. The therapy was performed by Dr Ravinder Garg, Department of Medicine, Dr Neetu Kukar, Department of Blood Transfusion, Dr Neerja Jindal, Department of Microbiology, and Dr Divya Kavita, Department of Critical Care.

Punjab Medical Education and Research Minister O P Soni said that the patient is gradually improving. This hospital has become one of the pioneer institutes in the country to initiate this therapy, as a part of National Clinical Trial under the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research), the minister said. He said the plasma of a recovered patient of Covid was collected and stored a few days ago. After receiving the plasma therapy, the patient’s condition is gradually improving and is now under observation.

The minister exhorted that more people, who have recovered from COVID-19, should come forward for this noble cause. Principal Secretary (Medical Education and Research) D K Tiwari said that GMC Patiala is also going to start plasma therapy soon and approval for GMC Amritsar is in the process.

The Vice-Chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Dr Raj Bahadur, said that convalescent plasma can be taken from any symptomatic patient recovered from the COVID-19 disease. Once the patient’s report (RT-PCR) becomes negative, he/she can donate his/her plasma after 14 days, as his blood contains antibodies which can help in curing the disease, he added.