The Ranchi district administration is planning to launch a mobile application to connect Covid-19 patients with plasma donors by putting out a list of those who are eligible with their blood groups, officials said on Saturday.

“A private company has been roped in to design the app. The platform, however, will be entirely run and monitored by the government,” said Ranchi deputy development commissioner (DDC) Ananya Mittal. “We should be ready to roll out the app next week,” he added.

The mobile application will also be accessible through a web browser for facilitating usage through desktops and laptops, said Mittal, adding that the platform will also provide details about the health condition of eligible donors and their current location.

“Doctors and patients will be able to see the list of donors in their localities. The idea behind launching this platform is to ensure there is no crisis of plasma for therapy of patients,” Mittal said.

The state government is yet to decide a name for the platform, sources said. It will be announced a day before the app launch.

The only plasma bank in Jharkhand is at the state capital’s premiere hospital, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS). It was inaugurated by chief minister Hemant Soren on July 28 in a bid to kickstart plasma therapy, a treatment that is claimed to be one of the most effective ways of helping symptomatic Covid patients recover from the infection.

As a part of the plasma therapy, blood plasma of a Covid survivor is injected into the body of an infected patient. It is believed that the person who survived the virus has developed antibodies in response to the Covid-19 antigen, and the survivor’s blood plasma may help the infected patient beat the virus, doctors said.

Any Covid survivor, who has recovered from the infection at least 28 days ago, is eligible to donate plasma. However, Covid survivors who have recovered more than four months ago cannot donate plasma, health officials said. The donor should fall in the age bracket of 18 to 60 years and should not have cardiac ailments, diabetes or thyroid malfunctions.

“The mobile application will only enlist people who are fit for plasma donation,” said Ranchi civil surgeon, Dr V.B. Prasad. “People can also volunteer for plasma donation and get listed in the app,” he added.

While the plasma bank at RIMS has found several donors, the facility has been facing hiccups due to shortage of manpower after at least three of its technicians tested positive for the coronavirus. The government is also working on measures to increase manpower at the plasma bank, health officials said.

Even though plasma therapy has been touted as the best treatment for Covid patients, some infected patients in Jharkhand could not survive despite undergoing the therapy. Ranchi’s first Covid patient to undergo plasma therapy died on August 2 at a private hospital in Ranchi. Renowned doctor Sujit Pal, the owner of Ranchi X Ray, had also undergone plasma therapy before he breathed his last.