Due to fear and lack of counseling only two per cent have contributed their plasma
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Mumbai: A trial of plasma therapy is underway across the state, including Mumbai, to cure critically ill corona patients. Patients need donors to heal the corona affected patients, but surprisingly, not even one percent of the total recovered people in the state have donated their plasma.
Only two per cent of the recovered patients in Mumbai have donated their plasma.
In addition to drugs, Convalescent plasma therapy is also being tried to cure corona patients.
In this therapy, the antibodies are taken from the body of patients cured from Corona and injected in the body of the Corona infected person. The state government is pleading with people for the plasma donation, but it has not seen any positive response as yet.
As per the statistics of the health department, a total of 3, 51,710 people have been recovered till August 9 in the state. About 42 percent of these people have recovered recently.
By July 10, in state 1, 32,625 patients have recovered, till August 5, only 1,236 people have come forward for plasma donation. Talking about Mumbai, till July 10, about 55,883 patients were recovered, but out of these only 662 people came for Plasma donation.
“Corona is a new disease and people have many doubts and questions in mind. There is need for more awareness amongst the people. That is the reason people are not coming forward not only for plasma donation but any other organ donation. Once people will become aware of it then the numbers of donors will increase”, said Dr Tatyarao Lahane, Director of Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER).
Vinay Shetty of Think Foundation, an organization supplying blood to the needy, said that “The government has failed to make people aware about plasma donation. Just calling and asking patients for plasma donation will not work at all, they will have to do proper counseling of the recovered people. The government should appoint a counselor.”
BMC Health Department official said that many patients feel shy and scared to visit the hospital again out of the fear that they can again get infected. So many people also think that we are cured then why should we go again to the hospital.- By Vikas Nag
