Crusaders waging a war against hunger have now joined the fight against Covid-19.

The Robin Hood Army (RHA), a volunteer-based organisation which collects excess food from restaurants and distributes it to the less fortunate across the world, has started a drive to facilitate the donation and receipt of blood plasma at many cities in India, including Calcutta.

The drive started late April in Calcutta, Patna, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gurgaon, Bangalore, Jaipur and Lucknow, among other places.

Plasma collected from the blood of a person three to four weeks after his or her recovery from Covid-19 is expected to contain antiviral antibodies, said doctors.

In Calcutta, there is reluctance among many Covid survivors to donate plasma, said doctors and public health activists.

“As India grapples under the pressure of the second Covid-19 wave, thousands of patients are in dire need of plasma. Multiple Robin Hood Army chapters in India are running a #MissionPlasma initiative. The idea is to build a repository of eligible and willing plasma donors so that we can quickly respond to plasma requests for patients,” said Swasti Saraogi, head (expansion and growth) of the RHA.

There are around 1,500 RHA volunteers in Calcutta. They have created a WhatsApp group called RHA Kolkata Covid Helpline. The requests from plasma seekers and prospective donors are being pooled in the group.

“We are in constant touch with blood banks and hospitals to keep track of prospective donors and recipients. Our job is that of a facilitator. Once we authenticate a donor, our volunteers arrange for his trip to a blood bank or a government hospital where he can donate blood. A volunteer picks a donor up from his home, accompanies her/him to the centre and drops him back home,” said Syed Manjur Rahaman, a member of the Calcutta chapter of RHA and the coordinator of the plasma drive in the city.

Similarly, the volunteers also facilitate receipt of plasma for a seeker. The RHA has tied up with an app cab aggregator for the rides for prospective donors and seekers between their home and blood bank or hospital.

Prospective donors and seekers can also reach out to the RHA volunteers at robinhoodarmykolkata@gmail.com. They can also call at 9903856216 and 7003563060.

The steps for plasma donation are as follows nThe RHA has the details of a prospective donor nIn case of a requirement, a volunteer will get in touch with a donor to check availability nOnce confirmed, all details of the donation will be shared nOnce a donor reaches a blood bank, his blood will be tested to check if antibodies are still there. If yes, his blood will be taken.

Our volunteers will also help donors and seekers in the documentation process, said Rahaman.

“So far, we have arranged for 11 plasma donations in Calcutta. We hope the numbers to go up substantially in the coming days,” said Saraogi.

The Calcutta chapter of the RHA has also been organising blood donation camps in the city. A sharp drop in the number of blood donation camps because of the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a crisis in availability of blood in Calcutta and the rest of Bengal.