: I Donated Plasma And Saved A Life. Here’s My Safe Pain-Free Experience #IndiaNEWS #Coronavirus This is a first person account by Pankaj Aundhiya (Additional Collector & Director DRDA, Ahmedabad)

I Donated Plasma And Saved A Life. Here’s My Safe Pain-Free Experience #IndiaNEWS #Coronavirus
This is a first person account by Pankaj Aundhiya (Additional Collector & Director DRDA, Ahmedabad) who donated plasma a month after he recovered from COVID-19.
It was June 1, and just like every other day, I was on additional duty as a nodal officer in Ahmedabad’s civil hospital. While gathering information about that day’s COVID-19 situation, I felt feverish and developed breathing problems.
Being a frontline worker, I was mentally prepared to be infected and so, the next day I lined up for my tests. Two days later, I was found positive and was immediately admitted to a hospital along with my wife who was infected because of me.
I was kept under observation for 16 days. In between, I developed severe breathing issues and was kept on oxygen for 12 days. I was also injected with Tocilizumab, an immunosuppressant which, when administered, has reduced the risk of invasive mechanical ventilation or death in patients with severe COVID-19.
My health improved over the next few days and I was declared Coronavirus-free on June 16 was kept under home quarantine for 21 days.
The recovery stage was very crucial as my immunity was still weak and my body was manufacturing antibodies to fight coronavirus.
Being in isolation for so many days gave me a chance to realise the importance of Convalescent Plasma Therapy or CPT in the absence of a vaccine. I also learnt about how only a few recovered patients in India are coming forward to donate plasma because of the stigma or fear.
In such precarious times, my duty on the frontline is beyond a nodal officer. The moral and social responsibility of saving someone’s life as a recovered COVID-19 patient is the need of the hour. That said, I too had fears and apprehensions of donating plasma but the will to help someone triumphed.
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On August 11, I was in Rajkot for a professional commitment and I got to know that a critical patient was in need of plasma, and was called to the Life Blood Centre, a blood bank.
The doctors patiently explained the entire process of plasma donation and therapy. They told me how plasma will be extracted from my blood and transfused into the patient’s body. They assured me that my body will start manufacturing plasma proteins within 72 hours. And if I change my mind or feel weak during the process, I can stop it.
Once I was fully convinced about the process, I signed a donor registration and consent form.
Next, the doctors assessed the status of my serum protein and CBC. I underwent several tests for the hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, HIV, malaria, and syphilis. I also had to take an antibody screening test as per the Indian Council Medical Research (ICMR) kit method.

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