Punjab Plasma Supply to Private Hospitals

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Punjab implemented a structured system for the collection and supply of convalescent plasma to both government and private hospitals. This initiative was undertaken as part of the state’s response to the rising number of COVID-19 cases and the demand for plasma therapy, which was being explored as a supportive treatment for severely affected patients.

Background

In mid-2020, as the pandemic reached critical levels, the Punjab government set up its first state plasma bank at Rajindra Hospital, Patiala. The plasma bank was established to ensure the availability of plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients for those in need of the therapy. Convalescent plasma, rich in antibodies, was believed to help boost the immune response in infected patients and reduce the severity of illness.
While plasma donation was voluntary, the collection, storage, and distribution processes were centrally coordinated by the Department of Health and Family Welfare. The government introduced a regulated pricing structure to ensure equitable access between public and private healthcare facilities.

Key Policy Provisions

Under the government’s directive:

• Free plasma supply was made available to patients being treated in government hospitals across Punjab.
• Private hospitals were allowed to obtain plasma from the state plasma bank at a fixed charge of ₹20,000 per unit.
• The pricing model was intended to recover the cost of collection, testing, and preservation, rather than to generate profit.
• Each plasma unit supplied to private hospitals was to be used strictly for registered COVID-19 patients undergoing treatment.
• The Punjab Health Department oversaw the distribution to prevent hoarding, black marketing, or misuse of the plasma units.

Purpose and Objectives

The initiative had several key objectives:

• Ensure equitable access to plasma therapy for patients in both public and private hospitals.
• Regulate the supply chain to maintain quality control and prevent unauthorised distribution.
• Encourage plasma donation among recovered patients by ensuring that donated plasma was used responsibly.
• Standardise treatment protocols across healthcare institutions using plasma therapy as an experimental treatment.

Implementation and Administration

The plasma collection centres were set up at designated hospitals including Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, and other regional medical colleges. These centres were equipped with apheresis machines, storage facilities, and trained medical personnel.
Private hospitals requiring plasma for patients had to formally apply through the designated government channels, specifying the patient’s clinical condition and treatment requirements. The plasma units were then transported under controlled conditions to ensure viability and safety.
Government hospitals received plasma free of cost to ensure universal healthcare support, while private hospitals were required to deposit the fixed fee directly with the health department to offset operational costs.

Public and Political Response

The decision to charge private hospitals drew mixed reactions. While the government clarified that the cost reflected the technical and logistic expenses of plasma extraction and testing, some groups expressed concern over the pricing policy, arguing that plasma donated voluntarily should not be monetised.
However, officials emphasised that the plasma therapy initiative was a public health service, not a commercial venture, and that the nominal fee ensured accountability and prevented black-market trading, which had been reported in some other states.

Impact of the Policy

The plasma supply policy achieved several short-term objectives during the pandemic:

• Stabilised supply and demand of plasma for critical patients during peak infection waves.
• Facilitated treatment continuity in private healthcare institutions that lacked plasma collection infrastructure.
• Enhanced coordination between public and private healthcare systems in Punjab’s COVID-19 response.
• Promoted voluntary plasma donation, as recovered patients gained confidence that their contributions were systematically utilised.

Administrative Oversight and Safeguards

To ensure transparency and safety, the Punjab government implemented multiple layers of oversight:

• Plasma donors were screened for infections and antibody titres before collection.
• Each unit underwent mandatory testing for transmissible diseases such as hepatitis and HIV.
• A tracking system was introduced to record the source and destination of every plasma unit supplied.
• Private hospitals were instructed to maintain detailed usage records and report outcomes to the health authorities.

Subsequent Developments

As the pandemic evolved and medical understanding improved, the use of plasma therapy was gradually discontinued as a mainstream COVID-19 treatment. Nevertheless, the infrastructure developed for plasma collection and component separation was retained for future use in treating other medical conditions.
By 2024, Punjab’s health facilities had expanded their blood-component separation units, offering plasma and other components free of cost in government hospitals and at nominal charges to private hospitals. This development built upon the pandemic-era plasma network to strengthen the state’s blood and plasma management capacity.

Significance

The plasma supply initiative exemplified Punjab’s adaptive and coordinated approach to public health crisis management. By ensuring that plasma therapy was accessible through both public and private channels, the state demonstrated the importance of regulated healthcare partnerships in emergencies.