Bengaluru plasma donor plays saviour, saves six lives


Bengaluru, Aug 9 (IANS): Kunal Ganna, a 21-year-old city-based businessman who recovered from coronavirus has emerged as a saviour, with his three plasma donations saving the lives of six infected patients, an official said on Sunday.

"Kunal's plasma has already saved three lives. He is looking forward to donate once more... he had donated three times to save six lives," said HealthCare Global (HCG) hospital associate dean Vishal Rao to IANS.

One of the recipients of Ganna's plasma was B H Natesh, a cardiologist from Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences.

On Saturday, Natesh met Ganna virtually on a zoom call and thanked him for donating the plasma and sharing his immunity to save his life.

The senior cardiologist tested positive for coronavirus on July 16.

"As his health deteriorated, Natesh was admitted in the ICU of Apollo hospital on Bannerghatta road on July 21. He received high flow oxygen, Remdesivir and other standard treatments for Covid," said Rao.

Despite all these efforts, Natesh's health started deteriorating, prompting his doctors to consider plasma therapy.

On July 28, the cardiologist's colleagues and friends contacted HCG hospital plasma bank, managing a plasma donation from Kunal Ganna.

"Natesh received Kunal's plasma on July 28 while he was still in the ICU. Within three quick days, he made a recovery and was shifted to the ward after spending nearly five days in the ICU," said Rao.

On betterment of health, following the plasma injection, Natesh was discharged from the hospital in a stable condition on Wednesday.

According to Rao, Natesh attributes his recovery from coronavirus to the administration of plasma and the unrelenting efforts of doctors.

Back in April, city-based HCG hospital had received the Central government's nod to conduct clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of convalescent plasma therapy in Covid treatment.

Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI), V G Somani, the licensing authority for the therapy, listed 19 conditions in his sanction order for HCG to be met for executing the therapy evaluation while giving the permission.

"The idea behind this therapy (plasma) is that immunity can be transferred from a healthy person to a sick patient using convalescent plasma. This therapy uses antibodies from the blood of a recovered coronavirus patient to treat another critical patient," added Rao.

Rao and some of his colleagues collaborated with state-run BMC Victoria hospital in the city centre to commence clinical trials.

 

  

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Comment on this article

  • Alwyn Crasta, Mangaluru/Bengaluru

    Mon, Aug 10 2020

    A selfless act from an eligible donor, Mr. Kunal. The urgent need of the hour is for as many plasma blood donors as possible to come forward to save many many more precious lives.

    DisAgree Agree [1] Reply Report Abuse

  • Save my India, India.

    Mon, Aug 10 2020

    May God bless richly, the Plasma donor Kunal, and the recepients as well.
    May all of us follow the steps of Kunal too.
    Jai Hind!!!

    DisAgree Agree [5] Reply Report Abuse

  • Flavian, Mangaluru/Kuwait

    Mon, Aug 10 2020

    "Kunal's plasma has already saved three lives. He is looking forward to donate once more...

    Great humanitarian quality or help indeed.
    The recovered persons if possible, need to follow in the foot steps of Kunal Ganna, their saviour. If such awareness/thought spreads further, there could be lots of benefit for Covid-19 patience all over India, and the World in general. Such process may give some hopes in the minds of people and surely reduce the stress and psychological fear and will reduce the stress in life.

    DisAgree Agree [4] Reply Report Abuse

  • sri_elder, Karkala

    Sun, Aug 09 2020

    What is the cost of this treatment?

    DisAgree [7] Agree [8] Reply Report Abuse

  • Monty Dotor, Mangalore

    Mon, Aug 10 2020

    Selling or donating blood in exchange of money is illegal under the National Blood Transfusion Services Act 2007.Blood mainly has 2 products -Cells eg RBC WBC Platelets etc and Plasma.So plasma is a blood product, and plasma therapy should be free.But you know very well what is happening.According to Medical Ethics a doctor should not charge another doctor,

    but here in Mangalore I know of a doctor who had never charged another doctor or paramedical staff in his whole life , including for surgey and hospitalization,in his PRIVATE hospital,he was practicing in another state, after retirement when he came to Mangalore this doctor was charged Rs 200 for a signature on Form 1A for driving license renewal(RTO) at Wedlock hospital.I have the original receipt of the money collected!!! For your information , for poor patients in many cities of India treatment including surgery and hospitalization is free, at government hospitals, you know what is happening in Mangalore!!
    Incidentally plasma therapy is nothing new.I had written to Hon Prime Minister in mid-February 2020 about plasma therapy(should be free), immunoglobulin for corona treatment (which would cost around Rs 20-50 and vaccine.Vaccine by Serum Institute and probably Bharat Biotech costing Rs 250 will be available soon.

    DisAgree Agree [13] Reply Report Abuse

  • sri_elder, Karkala

    Mon, Aug 10 2020

    Thank you very much.
    Good information you have given.. great.
    Let us hope many seriously ill people will survive by this method.
    But there requires so much coordination between people and technology involved in extracting plasma from blood may be expensive..

    DisAgree Agree [1] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jossey Saldanha, Mumbai

    Sun, Aug 09 2020

    This is called Aatmanirbar ...

    DisAgree [6] Agree [28] Reply Report Abuse


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