Blood donation be must for all cured Covid-19 patients: IMA

Nagpur: In view of acute shortage of plasma to treat Covid-19 infected persons, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has urged Maharashtra government to make blood donation mandatory for all recovered patients.
Plasma is the single largest component of human blood and contains water, salts, enzymes, antibodies and other proteins. The antibodies in the plasma of recovered patients can help the infected persons in combating the virus.
“The government should make blood donation for plasma collection compulsory under the provisions of Epidemic Act, 1897, or through promulgation an ordinance,” says a press release by IMA (Maharashtra) president Dr Avinash Bhondve and secretary Dr Pankaj Bandarkar.
To facilitate this, a mandatory undertaking can be taken from all patients to report on the 15th day after their discharge or recovery. “Such recovered persons will be tested for fitness for blood donation. A separate plasma bank may be formed at every city with the help of existing blood banks in public as well as private sector,” said the IMA.
Appealing to people not term the compulsion to donate plasma as an autocratic activity, the IMA said it should be seen as an obligation towards humanity and commitment to save human lives. “We at the IMA strongly feel that the increased availability of plasma will not only improve the recovery rate of Covid-19 patients, but also reduce mortality,” it said.
According to Dr Bhondve and Dr Bandarkar, in view of a rapid increase in the number of Covid-19 patients daily and scarcity of essential antiviral medicines, the government should focus on the use of plasma therapy for treatment.
“The therapy was thoroughly tested at various government medical college and hospitals (GMCHs). It has been proved effective as a life-saving measure in patients with hypoxia, who need oxygen and a possible ICU admission. However, it’s not being used frequently at various treatment centres in Maharashtra due to the non-availability of plasma donors in sufficient numbers,” said the doctors.
Quoting news sources, Dr Bhondve and Dr Bandarkar said some of the patients recovered from the deadly virus were asking for money to donate their blood.
“Considering these facts, IMA suggests the government of Maharashtra to make it mandatory for all the recovered Covid patients to donate blood for the plasma therapy,” they said.