After months of scrutiny over its practices, the private company that Canadian Blood Services contracted to collect plasma has paused its Canadian operations. CUPE is calling on the federal government to finally put public safety ahead of corporate profits, make the pause permanent and end for-profit plasma collection in Canada.
CUPE has opposed for-profit plasma collection for years. In 2022, the union opposed the deal that contracted plasma collection to the multinational corporation Grifols and opened the door to paid plasma collection in Ontario.
Grifols announced the pause on August 13, one day after Health Canada issued the company another notice of non-compliance involving its Winnipeg facility.
The numbers are troubling. According to Health Canada data, 25 of the 27 serious adverse reactions reported among plasma donors over the past decade occurred at Grifols-owned sites.
Health Canada has issued six notices of non-compliance involving Grifols clinics in five provinces since 2022. Inspections have identified problems including donor screening, equipment and staff training. Earlier this year, Health Canada imposed conditions on Grifols’ licence after finding recurring deficiencies at its facilities.
CUPE has also raised concerns about two deaths at Grifols clinics in Winnipeg.
The repeated problems at Grifols facilities make clear the serious risks and increased public costs of putting critical services like Canada’s blood system in the hands of a private, for-profit company.
The health and safety of donors and patients should come before corporate profits. Canada’s safe and reliable blood supply cannot be made vulnerable to private corporate business decisions or tactics.
Blood and its components are a public resource.
Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec are public institutions capable of collecting plasma safely and reliably. To protect the health and safety of Canadians and our pharmaceutical sovereignty, the federal government must use this opportunity to strengthen the public blood system and permanently shut down Grifols’ Canadian plasma collection centres.
