Plasma donation should become a people's movement in Odisha, the Chief Minister said on July 28 while inaugurating the states second plasma bank at a state-run hospital here and launching a web portal for donors.

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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," he 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 July 28.

Apart from the two hospitals, the therapy is now available at SUM Hospital and KIIMS Hospital in Bhubaneswar. The Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, said the next plasma bank will be operational at the Ispat General Hospital at Rourkela on July 29.

Regarding the portal, the Chief Secretary 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, he 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. The Ganjam Collector 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. The Chief Minister 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.