Amid the low turnout of plasma donors in Haryana’s Gurugram, the health department has a pick up and drop facility to motivate COVID-19 survivors to come forward and donate plasma.

According to a report by The Indian Express, the step comes after less than one per cent of those who recovered from COVID-19 donated plasma in the last four weeks. Till Thursday, the plasma bank had received 80 units of plasma, officials said.

The officials added that only 40 of the 10,360 people who have recovered from the virus have come forward to donate plasma and two units of plasma were collected from them.

The low turnout came even as the administration handed out ‘tokens of appreciation’ to all donors including a letter and a medal on behalf of the Rotary Club and a card to avail blood units from the Rotary Blood Bank free of cost for one year.

‘Keeping in mind the convenience of plasma donors, the district administration has started a new initiative, wherein a pick up and drop service will be provided to all those willing to donate plasma. The District Red Cross Society and Canwinn Foundation have already provided three vehicles for the same,’ Dr Virender Yadav, Chief Medical officer, was quoted as saying by the media.

Further, health department personnel will visit people to get their antibodies tested to determine whether they can donate plasma, instead of the people having to go to the Rotary Blood Bank for the screening. As it will take two hours for the test results to come, it will save time for prospective donors.

‘They will be taken to the Rotary Blood Bank only after it is clear that they are eligible to donate plasma,’ the CMO said.

Till date, Gurugram has reported over 11,800 cases of COVID-19, of which, over 10,700 have recovered and as many as 133 have succumbed to the virus.

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