Mysuru-based PG med student is Assam's 1st plasma donor

A 26-year-old doctor from Mysuru won many hearts in Assam after he became the first person in the state to donate plasma, on Friday, for treating Covid patients.

Lithikesh D S, who is doing his third year post graduation in medicine in Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), turned up to donate his plasma two weeks after recovering from Covid -19. He had tested positive at GMCH on May 7.

“I said yes as soon as our pathology department contacted me for plasma through my professor. After all, plasma can save someone’s life,” Lithikesh told DH.

The Assam health department on Friday opened its first plasma bank at GMCH. Plasma therapy involves transfusion of plasma from a convalescent patient to a critical patient.

This comes when Assam, particularly the capital city Guwahati is witnessing a spike in Covid-19 cases.

“By donating plasma, you may be saving the life of someone’s mother, sister, father, husband, wife or the only earning member of a family. So, if you are a recovered patient, please come forward to donate plasma,” he said.

Lithikesh joined GMCH in 2018 after doing MBBS from Mysore Medical College and Research Institute.

Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and junior health minister Pijush Hazarika lauded Lithikesh’s gesture.

“Glad to share that we’ve started a plasma bank today and the first convalescent donor is a doctor, a Covid-19 patient himself. Many gratitude to Dr Lithikesh. I encourage other patients to come forward and donate,” Sarma tweeted. This was shared by many on social media and many appreciated the doctor’s gesture.

Lithikesh said, “If you remove cellular components of blood such as RBC, WBC, platelet, the remaining part is plasma. It contains antibodies to many infectious diseases. Antibodies are required to fight against infection.”

He said it is similar to blood donation, but here cellular components are removed to filter the plasma.

“It takes about one hour to complete the procedure. Doctors and nurses remain with the donor during the process and there are no side effects or complications,” Likhitesh said.