Mangaluru: KS Hegde hospital gets convalescent plasma therapy unit

MANGALURU: Nitte (Deemed to be University) Justice KS Hegde Charitable Hospital (Blood Bank) has got the first convalescent plasma therapy unit for Covid-19 in the city.
Medical superintendent Major Dr Shivakumar Hiremath has stated the hospital has a well-equipped blood bank with a component and single donor platelet facility. The DCGI after going through the facility of the blood bank has issued a license for plasmapheresis. On the first day itself, we harvested convalescent plasma from three donors and transfused to Covid patients, he said in a release.
DK Deputy Commissioner Dr K V Rajendra, said, “This is a really good development for the district. The district Wenlock Hospital is also gearing up for the purchase of machine and is working towards getting necessary permission.”
Plasma donors through the NGOs Wellness Helpline and Blood help Care Karnataka have travelled to Bengaluru to donate plasma in the last couple of weeks. Wellness Helpline has identified donors and had been pressuring the district administration through MLAs for setting up a unit in Mangaluru.
Convalescent Covid 19 plasma therapy is a novel treatment to fight coronavirus. Plasma therapy uses antibodies from the blood of a recovered Covid 19 person to treat patients who are critically infected by the virus.