28 year Old Sagar Negi donates his blood plasma for Covid treatment at the Delhi Plasma Bank in the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, the country’s first that was inaugurated on Thursday. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)
Ten days after the Delhi government started the country’s first plasma bank at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), preparations are on to set up another such bank at Lok Nayak hospital. The 2,000-bed hospital was the first facility to be completely converted into a Covid-only hospital. The Chief Minister is expected to inaugurate the plasma bank on Tuesday.
“We have got a plasmapheresis machine through which plasma can be donated. The entire bank is being set up at the hospital. Earlier, we were sending patients to ILBS to donate plasma, and performing the therapy here. With the setting up of this bank, the entire process will take place in our hospital,” said Suresh Kumar, medical director of Lok Nayak hospital.
The Delhi government’s GTB hospital is also working out on the modalities to start a plasma bank in the coming days.
“We are focusing more on clinical management of patients by adopting techniques that can save the lives of more patients. The hospital has got its own plasmapheresis machine and the bank will start functioning soon,” said Dr R S Rautela, medical director of GTB hospital.
The plasma bank at ILBS has received over 250 donations so far. “The initiative for having multiple plasma banks is extremely useful and well-thought-out by the state government. There is a need for all large Covid hospitals to have their own plasma bank because patients are more attached to the hospital they are being treated,” said Dr SK Sarin, head of the hospital.