Plasma therapy started in the country in May drawing inspiration from other (representational) countries
Mumbai:
Maharashtra, which launched the world‘s largest plasma therapy trial in June, warned of an increase in plasma donation. Interior Minister Anil Deshmukh said today that there have been reports of fraud. It has also been reported that those who need plasma have to pay large sums.
“Plasma therapy has been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of patients with COVID-19. However, people have reported fraud associated with this. Beware of this fraud,” the minister said today.
Plasma therapy started in the country in May, drawing on positive experience from other countries. The first trials took place in the national capital, Delhi, where Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal opened a plasma bank.
In June, Maharashtra’s chief minister, Uddhav Thackeray, launched the largest plasma therapy trials in the world. The Platina project is expected to create a huge database for the treatment of the disease, which so far has no specific treatment or vaccine.
But donations have proven to be a barrier in the state – the country’s worst victim of coronavirus. In the absence of a sufficient number of donors, the critical patients were left open to fraud and extortion.
“Some potential donors have contacted relatives of patients and offered the plasma for hundreds of rupees,” said cyber expert and defender Dr Prashant Mali.
There is always the possibility of selling plasma “via the dark web and other illegal channels,” he said. “We urge relatives of patients to undergo treatment only in recognized hospitals and doctors.
Maharashtra today recorded 7,975 cases with 233 deaths. The total number of positive cases in the state stands at 2.75,640, said the state health department.
3,606 patients have been released today and the cure rate in the state is currently 55.37%.
