Our own plasma plant will reduce cancer treatment cost

If a plasma fractionation plant is established in the country, it will benefit the patients suffering from various diseases including cancer, liver disease and burn victims as well as reduce the cost of treatment for the patients.

Experts have said the establishment of a plasma fractionation plant is a very good news for the country.

"A plasma fractionation plant is quite necessary as different fractions of plasma – albumin, globulin, etc – are required for the treatment of cancer, liver diseases and others. If we can attain this fraction capability – biological separation – and market those, we do not have to depend on imports only," said Biomedical Scientist and Educationalist Professor Liaquat Ali.

Importing albumin and globulin is very expensive. So, this plant will be very useful in the treatment of liver diseases, cancer and other diseases, where different fractions of plasma are affected and albumin is reduced, he added.

Almost 75% of albumin is produced in the United States and the remaining 25% is produced in other parts of the world. If the United States stopped exporting albumin outside their country, there would be an albumin crisis in the world. So each country tries to build a plasma plant in their own country, said Dr Ashraful Huq, assistant professor of blood transfusion department of Sheikh Hasina Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute, who set up the first plasma bank in the country for treating Covid-19 patients.

He told The Business Standard as there is no Central Safe Blood Centre in Bangladesh, the purpose of the plasma fractionation plant may be jeopardized.

In other countries, the blood collected in any hospital is sent to the central blood bank. Then it is processed to separate different components which are sent to different stores as per the demand. As there is no central blood bank in Bangladesh quality plasma collection is a big problem, he added.

Dr Ashraful further said if blood from all over the country is not stored in one place, there will be no supply to the plasma plant for the components to be made. It will not be possible to produce the components if the supply is not available. It is necessary to set up a central blood bank to make the plant effective.