CHENNAI: Around three months ago, Tablighi Jamaat was vilified in certain quarters across the country and Tamil Nadu for ‘spreading’ the coronavirus.
Now, members of the Jamaat and their family who have recovered from Covid-19 have become plasma donors, helping in the recovery of other serious patients.
In Chennai, Hameedudeen, 30, a faculty at New College, Dr M A Ziaullah Khan, 64, and Sameer, 39, a social activist involved in blood donation campaigns, have joined hands to respond to requests mainly from private hospitals to identify donors and arrange plasma.
Twenty from the Jamaat and their extended family have donated plasma so far, Hameed said. “There are at least 5,000 recovered Covid-19 patients from the Jamaat and their extended family who are willing to provide plasma as their religious leader has already directed them to help others in this,” Hameed said. However, he pointed out how awareness among the Jamaat and other sections of society about donating plasma is still low.
Dr Khan, an alumnus of Kilpauk Medical College and practising in Perambur, said plasma donation is in the primitive stages. “Only those who have recovered at least 28 days ago are eligible to donate plasma. And it can be done only twice in a lifetime,” he said.
Even doctors were confused as they insisted on RT-PCR tests for recovered patients before they donated plasma. “Only the presence of Immunoglobulin-G (IgG) has to be checked. If it’s there, they are fit to donate,” said Dr Khan.
Such confusions, along with transportation problems in the lockdown, led to delays, he said. “It took us eight hours to send the donor to a hospital in Trichy on Saturday,” he said.
Sameer, a resident of Puzhal, said awareness of plasma donation was yet to match that of blood donation drives. “This is because for obvious reasons, there is no database of Covid-19 positive cases and those who have recovered. Due to stigma, many don’t come forward too,” he said.
Dr Khan said the government should streamline the process and run an awareness campaign with icons like sportstars or film personalities so that a plasma bank can be created which can help not only Tamil Nadu, but patients in other states too.
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