Use of plasma allowed for treating Covid-19 patients in KP

Published April 6, 2020
Jhagra says KP looking at and expediting work on passive immunisation. — Creative commons
Jhagra says KP looking at and expediting work on passive immunisation. — Creative commons

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department has allowed use of plasma extracted from the blood of patients having fully recovered from Covid-19 for the treatment of the fresh cases.

A notification issued from the office of secretary health on Sunday said the Provincial Passive Immunisation Committee proposed by the Hayatabad Medical Complex and comprising health experts and professionals had been given a go-ahead to submit a detailed proposal on the subject for onward submission to the National Bioethics Committee for approval.

On March 28, the Hayatabad Medical Complex’s medical director Prof Shehzad Akbar Khan had requested the health secretary to constitute a committee in accordance with a proposal made by Prof Tahir Shamsi, chairman of the National Passive Immunisation Committee, which had also been approved the US Food and Drug Administration, to treat the fresh patients with plasma extracted from the blood of patients having fully recovered from the disease.

On Friday, the National Bioethics Committee had approved passive immunisation trial by the HMC but waited for the provincial government’s formal approval of the committee to start treatment of coronavirus patients by plasma.

Meanwhile, health minister Taimur Khan Jhagra in a tweet said the committee had been notified to look at and expedite work on passive immunisation.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2020

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.