Odisha CM inaugurates two more plasma banks for COVID fight

Bhubaneswar - Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday inaugurated two more plasma banks, taking the number of such facilities in the state to five. Patnaik inaugurated the plasma banks through video- conferencing at MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur and VIMSAR in Burla.

Three such facilities are already operational at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar and Ispat General Hospital in Rourkela. Launching the new plasma banks, Patnaik said now the COVID patients in all the regions of the state could get the plasma therapy treatment generally administered to the critically ill coronavirus hit persons.

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The plasma therapy has already been applied on several patients in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Berhampur and results have been encouraging, a senior official said. Stating that one plasma donor can give lives to two COVID patients, Patnaik appealed to all the cured persons to come forward to donate their plasma.

He said the plasma therapy will be available to patients free of cost in the state. "So far 60 patients have been given plasma therapy and 48 of them are recovering fast. The aim of setting up such plasma banks in different parts of the state is to save precious human lives," Patnaik said. While Parliamentary Affairs Minister BK Arukha was present at MKCG Medical College and Hospital during inaugural function, Health and Family Welfare Minister N K Das remained at VIMSAR, Burla on the occasion.

Arukha said as many as 400 COVID recovered persons have come forward to voluntarily donate their plasma in Ganjam district. Additional Chief Secretary P K Mohapatra said the plasma therapy has been very successful in treatment of critically ill coronavirus patients. "This therapy has given a ray of hope to the patients in absence of specific medicines and vaccines," he said.

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