Odisha CM inaugurates second plasma bank launches web portal for donors

    Bhubaneswar, Jul 28 (PTI) Plasma donation should
become a people's movement in Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen
Patnaik said on Tuesday while inaugurating the states second
plasma bank at a state-run hospital here and launching a web
portal for donors.
    The second plasma bank was set up at the Capital
Hospital, nearly two weeks after the first such facility was
inaugurated at the SCB Medical College and Hospital in
Cuttack.
    Three other plasma banks will soon come up at
government hospitals in Rourkela, Burla and Berhampur in
phases, the chief minister said.
    "Preliminary results of COVID-19 plasma therapy in
Odisha have been very encouraging. I am sure plasma donation
will become a community-driven people's movement with the
participation of more and more people," Patnaik said.
    He also launched a portal in which volunteers can
register their names for plasma donation.
    The chief minister thanked doctors and paramedics for
making plasma therapy in the state successful and lauded the
personnel of police, fire service and disaster response force
personnel who voluntarily came forward for plasma donation.
    The first patient to receive the therapy recovered
from the disease and was discharged from Ashiwini Hospital in
Cuttack on July 24. Three more patients, who underwent the
therapy at Tata Hospital in Ganjam district, were also cured
on Tuesday.
    Apart from the two hospitals, the therapy is now
available at SUM Hospital and KIIMS Hospital in Bhubaneswar.
    Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare,
PK Mohapatra said the next plasma bank will be operational at
the Ispat General Hospital at Rourkela on Wednesday.
    Regarding the portal, Chief Secretary A K Tripathy
said that donors can register their names and volunteer for
plasma donation. Any COVID recovered patient in the age group
of 18 to 60 years and having no comorbidities, can donate
plasma for the treatment of critically ill coronavirus
patients.
    Noting that the plasma of one donor could save the
lives of two critically ill COVID patients, Mohapatra said
that the state government has made all arrangements for smooth
collection of plasma.
    He said that Odisha was among a few states in the
country which has been stressing on plasma therapy and it is
currently available free of cost in the state.
    Ganjam Collector V A Kulange said that 291 people have
expressed willingness to donate their plasma and a plasma
selection centre will be set up soon to identify those who can
donate.
    Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has engaged several
ministers to motivate people who have been cured of the
disease to come forward for plasma donation.
    So far, 23 such people have donated their plasma in
the state. PTI AAM
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(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)