Paying for plasma – a necessary evil?
South Osborne
Last month, Canadian Blood Services announced its loftiest recruitment goal to date – one million new donors in the next five years.
I was reminded of this last week – which, incidentally, was National Blood Donor Week – as I drove past the private, for-profit plasma clinic on Taylor Avenue. It's no coincidence, I mused, that Canada's blood authority is looking to super-size its donor base at a time when private clinics like this one are popping up across the country.
The clinic on Taylor is one of two paid plasma donation centres in Winnipeg, both acquired by Grifols, a multibillion-dollar company based in Spain. According to Grifols' website, donors earn an 'honorarium' of up to $100 per donation, plus bonuses for frequent donations; individuals can donate as often as twice per week. That's not too shabby a side hustle, if you can get past the fact you're essentially selling your blood.
Photo by Tracy Groenewegen
Private, for-profit plasma donation clinics, such as one this one on Taylor Avenue, have been popping up across Canada over the past decade.
Plasma, by the way, is the liquid part of blood and is a vital input into our health-care system. While some is used directly in blood transfusions, most of it is used to manufacture medications for treating immunodeficiencies and other medical conditions.
Monetary compensation for plasma isn't exactly new – in fact, it's been going on in Winnipeg for over 35 years, longer than anywhere else in Canada. To be sure, there's a reason this particular component of blood has been commodified; so much of it is needed as source material for certain life-saving medications and Canada falls woefully short – about 85 per cent short – of meeting the growing demand through unpaid donations, according to Canadian Blood Services. The balance is made up by importing finished medications from the U.S., where paid plasma donation is commonplace. CBS itself does not pay individuals for blood donations of any kind.
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It's really no wonder, then, that CBS formed what some might call an unholy alliance with Grifols to boost collection of Canadian plasma. Under this agreement, signed in 2022, Grifols began opening more plasma donation centres in certain provinces – where paying for plasma isn't strictly banned – and will use this plasma exclusively for manufacturing medications for Canadians. At the same time, CBS committed to continuing to grow its own capacity and has since opened several new plasma donor centres.
Still, treating blood like a market commodity is unsettling to me. I worry about the broader implications of monetizing human tissue and rendering transactional what began as altruistic.
Tracy GroenewegenSouth Osborne community correspondent
Tracy Groenewegen is a community correspondent for South Osborne. She can be reached at tracy.groenewegen@gmail.com
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