Plasma therapy will be provided free of cost in Punjab: Amarinder Singh

CHANDIGARH: The state government will provide plasma free of cost by to all those in need, Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh said on Thursday. He directed the health department to ensure that Covid patients are not charged for plasma therapy and that nobody is allowed to buy or sell plasma.
Capt Amarinder, who was holding a Covid management review meeting via video conference, urged deputy commissioners and health department officials to motivate recoverd Covid patients to donate plasma.Currently, there are around 10,000 recovered Covid patients in the state, he said, adding that his government’s priority was to save each and every life in Punjab.
Amarinder asked the health department to expedite setting up of two new Plasma Banks in Amritsar and Fardikot, to supplement the one already operational in Patiala. Minister O P Soni informed him that approvals for the new banks had already been received and tenders were being floated for procurement of equipment. He also sought a proposal for earmarking 10 beds in all the district hospitals for treatment and care of mild/minor cases of infection.
Punjab chief secretary Vini Mahajan suggested that all field officers, including DCs and SSPs, should remain at their headquarter towns even at night for the next two months, as this was a critical period for Punjab, with projected spike during this time.