JOIN USGreen corridor created to transport plasma from Bengaluru to Chennai
An inter-state Green Corridor was created to transport convalescent plasma from HealthCare Global Cancer Hospital, Bengaluru, to a private hospital in Chennai. A total distance of 348 km was covered in a duration of 4.5 hours.
An elderly woman with co-morbidities was tested Covid-19 positive and was admitted to a private hospital in Chennai. She was admitted in the ICU and was on non-invasive ventilation. The patient’s family was keen to explore the use of plasma therapy, considering her critical condition. Post discussion with the doctor, they decided to go ahead with the plasma therapy.
The request for plasma was sent to the Plasma Bank at HCG Hospital. Plasma was extracted from a donor at 3 pm on Sunday, and the transfer began thereafter. The ambulance carrying the plasma left the hospital at 5 pm via the green corridor created with the help of Bengaluru City Police. The hospital team carried the plasma till Hosur, from where it was transferred to the team from the private hospital. The plasma reached Chennai at 9:30 pm. The hospitals' technical teams coordinated throughout the transportation process.
Dr Vishal Rao, Associate Dean, Centre for Academics and Research, HCG Cancer Hospital, said, “Green Corridors to facilitate transportation of organs is a common phenomenon, but an inter-state transfer of plasma was a first. Within two hours of extraction, we were all set to transfer the plasma. The police officials created a special green corridor so that the plasma could reach the hospital from Bengaluru to Chennai in a timely manner.”
He further added, “With each passing day, plasma requirements for patients are increasing and in the absence of a bank, it gets difficult to cater to them. A plasma bank functions like a blood bank, and has been created specifically for those who are suffering from Covid-19, and have been advised the therapy by doctors. We need more people who have recovered from the infection to donate plasma so that we can save lives.”