This Delhi resident has donated plasma nine times after recovering from COVID-19
Hailing from Jahangir Puri in New Delhi, Tabrez Khan has donated his plasma nine times and counting, to help other patients recover from the deadly virus.
When news about the deadly coronavirus first started emerging across the globe, little did people know that it would wipe out over 900,000 lives from the planet.
In India, with little to no knowledge about the novel virus, many people who contracted it were ostracised by the society at first, believing that these individuals might infect others in the vicinity.
New Delhi resident Tabrez Khan and his family are among such COVID-19 survivors. Hailing from Jahangir Puri, Tabrez contracted the disease on March 18. He told ANI, “When I tested positive, the whole society began treating me like a criminal. They were acting like I was a ticking bomb that could explode anytime. Everybody started avoiding my family.
“Even when I was discharged from the hospital, the society members did not treat me well. This pain will be remembered forever. Chemist and shopkeepers boycotted me. People even called the police when my family members or I stepped out,” he added.
However, this did not deter Tabrez to help others. To date, he has donated plasma close to nine times and hopes to donate again to aid the requirements.
Image: ANI
Plasma therapy, by many doctors, has been proven to be successful in diagnosing COVID-19 patients in the moderate to high-risk category. In fact, many state governments have been urging COVID-19 recovered patients to come forward and donate plasma for efficient treatment.
India’s first plasma bank — the Delhi Plasma Bank — was established on July 5 at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS). Tabrez has donated his plasma twice to this bank after receiving a call from an organisation.
While Tabrez feels positive about making the donations and wishes to continue as long as he can, his family members, on the other hand, are sceptical about it considering his health.
“My family and society members ask me not to do this as it might cause problems for me in the future, but I do this for someone’s happiness,” he told NDTV, adding that he donated plasma 15 days back.
His wife Kusum, too, faced a lot of criticism from neighbours despite being tested negative for the novel virus. However, things changed after their neighbours learned of Tabrez’s effort.
“After he started donating plasma, everybody stopped discriminating. Doctors told us that donating plasma is a good thing. It did not cause weakness. It saves a life, and hence we should continue,” she said.
Tabrez is now urging more patients who have recovered to come forward and donate their plasma.
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Edited by Suman Singh
