New Delhi: A government established plasma bank at the state-run Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences has started functioning with cured COVID-19 positive patients donating their plasma in New Delhi. The bank was inaugurated by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on July 2.
Patients who have recently recovered from COVID-19 are eligible to donate plasma.
"The only purpose of this bank is to provide plasma to all the hospitals in Delhi. I used to receive calls on a regular basis if we could provide plasma or not. Earlier there were no facilities, but now, it is possible with the setting up of this bank," Dr Anita, in charge, Delhi Plasma Bank said.
"In order to donate, it is important that the donor has one report stating that he was tested positive for COVID-19 and the donor should have recovered from the disease for at least 14 days," she further added.
"Whenever the donor comes, they are counselled first about the procedure and all their concerns are addressed. Once fit, the donor's blood sample is collected, veins are checked and then we check the blood pressure and temperature," she said.
The patient is then asked to rest and then the sample is screened and once after the testing the donor is fit, the plasma donation process begins, she added.
"The entire process -- from the point of entry -- takes about two hours but the procedure on the machine, takes about a half-hour," she said.
