Navale Hospital Pune receives ICMR permission for Plasma therapy for COVID treatment
Pune, June 12, 2020: Shortlisting from the number of hospitals vying to participate, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has permitted Smt. Kashibai Navale Medical College and General Hospital, Narhe, Pune, one of the most renowned and leading hospitals in the region, to conduct plasma therapy on corona patients. Thereby, SKNMC & GH has the distinction of being the first private hospital and the second after Sassoon Hospital, a large state-run hospital in Pune to offer plasma therapy to Covid-19 patients.
In the absence of a vaccine or a specific drug, plasma therapies have been tested globally, although only in limited numbers, as a treatment for Coronavirus patients. Convalescent plasma therapy uses antibodies from the blood of cured patients to treat critically ill Covid-19 patients. Over 850 corona patients have so far been successfully treated at Navale Hospital. Most of the Covid-19 patients at Navale Hospital have recovered. Three to four of these recovered patients have come forward to give their blood for plasma therapy. Donors are chosen after conducting repeated testing on recovered patients and when all test result is found negative for corona.
The National Institute of Virology, a globally renowned institute of virology research and part of ICMR, has tested the blood to see how many protective antibodies are produced in their bodies. Donors are chosen where the protective antibodies are found to be sufficiently adequate. Dr Shalini Sardesai, Dean of Navale Hospital states that therapy treatment will be conducted on patients who are on ventilators, neither mild nor critical. This critical and prestigious work on Plasma therapy is being done by the Department of Medicine of Smt. Kashibai Navale Hospital, by Dr Shreepad Bhat, Professor, Medicine and Dr Dileep Kadam OSD of SKNMC & GH Pune.
Meanwhile, the hospital authorities are also counselling more cured patients to come forward and donate their plasma to save the precious lives of others and have also associated with Jana Kalyan Blood Bank, Pune. Plasma therapy is conducted after a very careful study of the donors as well as the patients. Blood group matching tests are also being undertaken.
SKNMC & GH is well known in the region for charitable care besides the best medical treatment, right from the very inception in the year 2006. The hospital provides all facilities in addition to meals to the in-patient free of cost. In keeping with the ethos of the profession, right from the very inception, Smt. Kashibai Navale General Hospital and Sinhgad Dental Hospital have been treating the poor patients free of cost. This is a boon especially for the poor and needy who cannot afford proper health care. Besides this, Sinhgad Institutes has been at the forefront in providing hostels for quarantine to fight the Coronavirus.
Prof M N Navale, Founder President of Sinhgad Technical Education Society said that Plasma therapy shows great potential as a lifesaving treatment opportunity for corona patients and he thanked ICMR for granting permission to SKNMC & GH Pune. Prof Navale lauded the exemplary efforts of Dr Kadam, Dr Bhatt and their entire team and motivated them in their fight against Coronavirus.
