Sask. health minister fine with paying blood donors

The federal NDP wants Ottawa to ban plasma clinics that pay donors, but the Saskatchewan health minister says he’s OK with plans for one in his province.

New Democrat health critic Don Davies said he’s worried about safety.

“We’ve been down this road before,” Davies said.

“Nearly 30,000 Canadians were infected with HIV and hep C in the ’70s and ’80s and we spent $17 million on a publicly funded federal inquiry which revealed that the paid-donor system was a factor in Canadians receiving tainted blood.”

Davies pointed out the inquiry recommended donors should not be paid and that safety of the blood system is paramount.

Ontario and Quebec have moved to ban such clinics, but Saskatchewan Health Minister Dustin Duncan said Friday his province won’t follow suit.

He said he pointed out to his counterparts at a previous meeting of health ministers that 80 per cent of plasma comes from paid donors in the United States and Europe.

“It’s just a little bit ironic that if it happens across the border and we don’t see it, then it’s OK, but if it happens in Canada, it’s somehow a problem,” said Duncan.

“We recognize, the Canadian Blood Services recognizes, that 80 per cent of the plasma that’s used in Canada comes from paid donations. This is what the system is based on already, today. We need to become a little bit more self-sufficient and paid donations is the way to do that.”

Davies said differing approaches by the provinces is the reason why the federal government has to act.

The company involved, Canadian Plasma Resources, says on its website that it performs donor screening as per Health Canada regulations.