Now the COVID poor are selling their plasma to survive

Vijayawada: Financial hardships are forcing some plasma donors to demand more money from COVID-19 infected patients in several parts of Andhra Pradesh. In a recent case at Indian Red Cross Society’s blood bank in Nellore, a voluntary donor expressed his interest to donate his plasma and when the authorities informed him that he would get Rs 5,000 as financial incentive announced by the state government for the donation, the donor asked for more money. Later on, when the donor overheard the IRCS authorities discussing that a new patient requires plasma of a specific blood group, which was the same as the one he just donated, the donor approached the family members of the COVID patient for money, claiming that they were going to be given the plasma donated by him. Plasma therapy is free for COVID-19 infected patients taking treatment in government hospitals but in the case of IRCS blood banks, they are charging Rs 14,000 per 400 ml plasma which comes in two units of 200 ml each. ICRS blood bank chief medical officer at Nellore Dr Yashovardhan said, “We are allowing only voluntary donors of plasma and the donated plasma is being offered to the required patients following the government fixed cost only as we have to collect and process it before transfusion to the patient.” Meanwhile, COVID-19 infected patients are seeking the intervention of the state government to arrest misuse of plasma donation by some middlemen for monetary gain.