By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR/ROURKELA: After Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar and SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday inaugurated Odisha’s third Plasma Bank for treatment of serious COVID-19 patients at Ispat General Hospital (IGH) Rourkela. The Patnaik Government will come up with 5 Plasma Bank, of which 3 have started functioning.
The Chief Minister had inaugurated the first COVID Plasma Bank for treatment of serious COVID patients at SCB Medical College, Cuttack on July 15. And the second Plasma Bank was launched on July 28 at Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar. Odisha is the third state besides Delhi and Maharashtra to start this procedure.
Women and Child Development Minister Tukuni Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Pradipta Mohapatra, Secretary To CM 5T VK Pandian, Rourkela Steel Plant officials, Doctors at IGH and para-medics were present during the inaugural event.
Speaking on the occasion, the Odisha CM said: “Plasma therapy has become an effective medical procedure against coronavirus. It has become a weapon of faith in the fight against COVID-19.”The Chief Minister said that after successful trials of plasma therapy at Cuttack and Bhubaneswar the government is encouraged to introduce the treatment at other centres.
Further, appealing the COVID survivors to come forward and donate their plasma, Patnaik said that each unit of plasma can be used for the treatment of two critical COVID-19 patients.A coronavirus survivor can donate plasma after 28 days. A COVID patient who has recovered from the disease, Simanchal Gouda, donated his plasma at IGH’s new facility.
