The private sector has no role to play in the field of collecting and managing blood products in Canada. CUPE strongly supports the principle of non-profit organizations managing all blood products, thereby ensuring equality for people and the public interest.
CUPE has recently submitted a brief to Health Canada’s Public Consultation on the Safety of Paid Plasma Donations, in which Health Canada is urged to reject the request made by Canadian Plasma Resources, wishing to operate clinics that will use plasma originating from paid donors.
“To approve a new privately-run actor in blood product collection would ignore the already-existing capacity of a proven non-profit national system (Canadian Blood Services). There is no compelling reason to gamble the health of Canadians on a privately-run corporation whose compulsion to enter the blood product “market” is to return maximum value to its shareholders.”
Copy of the brief submitted to Health Canada.