Khattar formally inaugurates Haryana’s first plasma bank in Faridabad

Bijendra Ahlawat

Tribune News Service

Faridabad, August 7

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday formally inaugurated the first plasma bank of the state, set up in the ESIC Medical College and Hospital here, through video conferencing.

Though the bank had come up last month and had been functional since, it had been awaiting the formal inauguration. 

Claiming that conception and inception of the plasma bank was a step to provide efficient treatment based on the latest evidence and understanding of COVID-19, the CM said that it had already started to serve the purpose of saving the lives of the people affected by the viral infection.

“The setting up of the plasma bank was possible due to the determination of authorities concerned, which include the ESIC hospital, which had been functional as Covid hospital and has treated hundreds of patients so far,” said Khattar, adding that the bank will continue to serve the purpose till the pandemic is wiped out.

 “The ESIC hospital is equipped with a capacity of 510 isolation beds, a 60-bedded ICU, 24 ventilators and state-of-the-art diagnostic facilities,” said the DC Yashpal Yadav.

“With a capacity of conducting 750 tests daily, the hospital has so far conducted over 35,000 RT-PCR tests and treated over 4,800 patients,” he added.

The plasma bank remains functional round the clock and has the capacity to store 400 units of convalescent plasma at any point of time, Yadav said, adding that a drive has been launched to encourage more people to donate their plasma for a faster recovery of the infected patients.

Union Minister Santosh Gangwar also joined via video conferencing for the inauguration.