Health Canada should hold off on approving blood clinics that pay people for their plasma, Ontario’s health minister says.
Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews asked her federal counterpart on Monday to hold off approving two clinics in Toronto and one in Hamilton planned by Canadian Plasma Resources.
“As health regulators and care providers, I strongly believe that before Canada considers allowing paid-donor blood plasma clinics to proliferate throughout the country, we first need to develop a better understanding of the impact that this development would have on our voluntary blood products donor system,” Matthews wrote.
“I am confident that Canadians will continue to voluntarily donate blood, plasma and platelets for altruistic reasons, rather than financial incentives. I also believe it would be irresponsible to allow a shift towards a paid-donor system without first determining how it could impact the supply of blood and blood products. I think we owe it to Ontarians and Canadians to have that discussion before any approvals are granted.”
Read the full article and watch the video on the CBC News web site.