Sruthi Vibhavari
Hyderabad: A Hyderabadi doctor set an example of humanity beyond religion when he traveled to Vijayawada to donate his plasma for a person suffering from COVID-19. Dr. Hanif Mohiuddin donated his plasma to KVN Prasad, a retired bank manager whose condition was critical before. He is currently undergoing treatment at Vijayawada’s Kamineni Hospital.
Prasad’s family was looking for B negative blood across states, who recovered from COVID-19 for several days but in vain. It was Dr. Kiran, a pulmonologist working at KaminenI Hospital, who referred them to Dr. Hanif Mohiuddin who could help them. Coincidentally, Dr. Hanif’s blood group was also B negative.
When Prasad’s brother-in-law, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Intelligence) Krishna Prasad approached Dr. Hanif, he readily gave him the samples. At a local lab, his sample was tested and matched with that of the patient and the immunoglobulin (IGG, IGM) levels were sufficient to donate plasma.
“I immediately started to Vijayawada along with my brother who is a Cancer specialist. I donated my plasma to the patient and started my journey back to Hyderabad,” Dr. Hanif said while talking to siasat.com. He also hoped for Prasad’s quick recovery.
DSP Prasad is beyond thankful to Dr. Hanif on his kind gesture towards his ailing brother-in-law. Speaking to siasat.com, he said, “I offered to take Dr. Hanif to Vijayawada in my own car. However, he refused my offer and said that he already reached the city-outskirts by then. I was surprised. In COVID times, we saw people dumping their family members but Dr. Hanif, who was neither a part of our family nor religion, helped us. It seemed like God is hearing us. It is because of people like him, humanity is still alive in horrible times like these.”
Prasad, while recollecting four-days struggle to find a plasma donor, said, “There is no awareness regarding plasma donation. People are afraid to donate blood, fearing they will fall sick. Even some hospitals are fuelling this fear. Education regarding this is very important.”
Dr. Hanif said, “I keep donating blood whenever possible. I will do it again, if necessary. I do not have a second thought regarding this. Young people must come forward for this cause.” Dr. Hanif currently works as an anesthesiologist and a critical care consultant at Bless Hospital. He previously worked in the intensive care units of Care Hospital and Sunshine Hospital.
Message for Public
Dr. Hanif, who also works in the critical care says, “Cloth masks are not a good option because the droplets when you cough can easily pass through it. I urge the common public to use the surgical (blue) masks only. Others who are in regular contact with COVID-19 patients must use N-95 masks. They have more filters and give you better protection from getting contracted.”
“Do not get panicked when a family member contracts virus. There is a very low mortality rate and simple treatment is the cure. Taking more stress is, in fact, dangerous to one’s health. Remain peaceful.” Dr. Hanif concludes.