The health department has sought permission from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to use plasma therapy to treat covid-19 patients in J&K.
If permitted, the therapy will likely be available in three premier health institutions namely the Government Medical College Jammu, the Government Medical College Srinagar and the SKIMS Srinagar where “research based” infrastructure is available.
Officials told Greater Kashmir that the health department has written to the ICMR New Delhi for permission. “Process in this regard has also been started in these three hospitals to get clearance from the ethical committee and the government,” they said.
“After getting the ethical committee’s clearance for plasma therapy, the health institutions must have research facilities and should be able to maintain data. These parameters are reviewed by the ICMR before they give permission for providing ‘plasma therapy’ to the covid infected persons,” said an official in the health department.
The official said this therapy, if permitted, will be provided in J&K under the ICMR supervision.
“Since it is research oriented therapy, proper procedure is being followed as laid down by the ICMR. The plasma banks will also be established but only after nod from the ICMR,” the official said.
Plasma therapy helps infected persons get strength and fight the disease, said an official while terming it as a “revolution in the treatment of covid infected persons”.
Another official said that the hydroxychloroquine medicines being used in the covid hospitals to treat the coronavirus infected persons, and this therapy have shown “good results”.
“We received permission from the competent authority to use hydroxychloroquine medicine and hence, we successfully treated an infected woman after a month,” the official said.
Before the use of hydroxychloroquine, the official said, this covid infected woman, from Kargil who had travel history from Iran, had tested positive twice despite treatment for continuous 20 days in the Isolation Ward of the GMC Jammu Hospital.
“However, her health improved and she tested negative with the use of hydroxychloroquine for the next ten days. She was under treatment for a month,” said the official.
Pertinently, the woman was among the first covid positive persons in Jammu who were detected from Sarwal with travel history from Iran.