Thaindian News

New Delhi, Oct.8 (ANI): The Union Cabinet today gave its approval for the construction of a new multi-storeyed hospital complex, including accommodation for essential category staff for Command Hospital (Southern Command) and Command Medical Dental Centre, Pune at an estimated cost of Rs.270.77 crore.
The new functional hospital will be built with modern facilities commensurate with the authorised bed strength of 1047 beds for provision of comprehensive medical care to service personnel, ex-servicemen and their families.
It will have provision for specialist and referral facilities to medical establishments in Southern Command pertaining to Army, Air Force and Navy, training to undergraduate and post-graduate students of Armed Force Medical College (AFMC) Pune to which it is affiliated and research in various clinical areas. The Cabinet also gave its approval for setting up of a Plasma Fractionation Centre at a cost of Rs.185.00 crore as a part of ongoing National AIDS Control Programme, Phase III (NACP III) with a total financial estimate of Rs.250.00 crore.
The direct benefit of implementation of proposal is to ensure access of Plasma derivatives to needy patients at affordable prices. This will also reduce our dependence to imports of Factor VIII and Factor IX and save foreign exchange.
Plasma is one of the component of Blood and can be used for preparation of several plasma derivatives. Transfusion of plasma and administration of plasma fractionation derivatives is indicated for many medical conditions as a life saving measure in medical conditions such as HemophiliaA, Hemophilia B, Von-Willebrnds disease, Immunodeficiencies, and others.
These patients require periodic transfusion of a desired plasma product for their clinical management. However, in the absence of access to these derivatives, whole blood is used which is a sub-optimal use of the blood.
The bulk demand for the plasma components is met through imports. Plasma and Plasma derivatives are not accessible to the economically poor patients due to high costs. Hemophiliacs need to take Anti Hemophilic factor (AHF) at periodic intervals, lifelong depending on the severity of the condition. Thus the bulk portion of existing demand is met through import of plasma products on estimated foreign exchange amounting to Rs.80-90 crore annually.
As a step in the direction of addressing this need, it is proposed to set up a Plasma Fractionation Centre with capacity to process 1.5 lakh litres of Plasma annually.
The centre will process plasma to make plasma components i.e. Albumin, Gammaglobulin, Prothrombin complex, Thrombin and Anti-hemophilic factor etc. These products will be provided to public sector hospitals at affordable prices for the treatment of economically weaker sections of the society to ensure equitable access to the life saving products, thus achieving self-sufficiency. (ANI)