Permitting paid plasma collection by the private sector raises difficult questions. Will it be safe? Will a plasma-for-profit system prompt fewer volunteers to donate blood? Can parallel donor systems co-exist? And what are the risks of privatizing blood collection?
There’s an ethical dimension, too. Because the clinics are located in inner-city neighbourhoods, where people welcome income supplements, there are concerns about exploitation and the worry that those deemed high-risk will want to sell their plasma for fast cash.
The Toronto-based company says it first informed Health Canada and the Canadian Blood Services in 2009 of its intentions. It prepared the clinics for inspection and applied last November for a licence from Health Canada.
But after a public outcry in February, following news reports about the private-sector clinics, Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews urged her federal counterpart, Leona Aglukkaq, not to approve licensing without open consultation. (The clinics must also be licensed by the province.)
Read the full article on The Star web site.