By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo) initiated a program to help critically-ill coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients by donating convalescent plasma of officers who recovered from the infection.
Dubbed “PLASMA MO, ARMAS KO BATUK SA COVID 19”, the program was in partnership with Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital blood bank.
12 Nocppo officers who fully recovered from the virus donated their plasma during the blood donation drive held at the Police Regional Office (PRO)-6 Satellite Office inside the provincial police headquarters here Saturday.
The project was in response to the call of the Department of Health (DOH) and Provincial Health Office.
This activity was also in line with the Philippine National Police (PNP)’s “Kapwa Ko, Sagot Ko,” which was made possible through the Provincial Community Affairs and Development Unit of Nocppo, Provincial Health Service Section and the management of CLMMRH blood bank.
Nocppo cited the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Department of Health (DOH) which said that convalescent plasma of persons who recovered from COVID contains antibodies that can be transfused to critically ill COVID-19 patients.
The whole blood extracted will be processed to separate the solid particles of the blood from plasma which is the liquid portion.
The plasma will then be transfused into a severely infected COVID-19 patient to help fight the disease. This is known as convalescent plasma therapy.
Colonel Romy Palgue, Nocppo director, lauded the donors and thanked the CLMRH blood bank for making this activity possible.
He assured the Negrenses that in the midst of pandemic, policemen and other agencies will never pause for a rest and is ready to respond to the call to fight COVID-19, as he stressed that “we heal as one.”
