Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
Health

Saskatchewan Nurses Latest To Oppose Pay-for-plasma Donation Clinic

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 02 Mar, 2016 12:49 PM
    REGINA — Nurses are the latest group to join opposition to a private, for-profit plasma donor clinic in Saskatchewan.
     
    Tracy Zambory, president of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, has written a letter to federal Health Minister Jane Philpott that says nurses believe the clinic poses a serious safety risk to the blood supply.
     
    Canadian Plasma Resources opened its doors Feb. 18 and plans to pay people with $25 gift cards for making plasma donations.
     
    The centre will be inspected by Health Canada and has to comply with national regulations, including donor screening and testing.
     
    Zambory asks Philpott to immediately prevent Health Canada from issuing licenses to any clinic intending to pay donors for blood or plasma.
     
    Zambory also points to an inquiry into the tainted blood scandal of the 1980s which recommended against paid-donor blood clinics.
     
    "SUN is deeply concerned that any company paying donors for plasma would be operating in direct contravention of these recommendations and would once again be placing Canadians in great peril," Zambory said in letter Tuesday.
     
    The Canadian Union of Public Employees and the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour have also called for a ban on such clinics.
     
    Philpott has fended off calls to close the clinic in Saskatchewan by saying Canada has one of the safest blood systems in the world. She said in the House of Commons on Feb. 18 that the government has "examined this in great detail" and is "approaching this matter looking at the science and making sure that there are no compromises to the safety of the blood system."
     
    Saskatchewan Health Minister Dustin Duncan supports the clinic and has noted that 80 per cent of plasma used in Canada currently comes from paid donors, largely in the United States, but also in Europe.
     
    Plasma is the straw-coloured liquid portion of blood.
     
    Canadian Plasma Resources says donating typically takes one hour. It says plasma collected will be used in other medical therapies, not for direct transfusions.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Much Yet To Know About Women's Heart, Says PIO Cardiologist

    Much Yet To Know About Women's Heart, Says PIO Cardiologist
    The American Heart Association (AHA) has for the first time issued a scientific statement on female heart attacks, underscoring knowledge gaps and outlining the priority steps needed to better understand and treat heart disease in women.

    Much Yet To Know About Women's Heart, Says PIO Cardiologist

    What To Know About The Tropical Zika Virus In Latin America

    What To Know About The Tropical Zika Virus In Latin America
    The mosquito-borne Zika virus usually causes a mild illness but is now suspected in an unusual birth defect and possibly other health issues. Some things to know:

    What To Know About The Tropical Zika Virus In Latin America

    Are You Suffering From 'Smartphone Pinky' Or 'WhatsAppitis'? Read On

    Are You Suffering From 'Smartphone Pinky' Or 'WhatsAppitis'? Read On
    Have you noticed that your fingers are turning 'Pinky’ lately as you are busy chatting and texting on smartphone? If yes then you are not alone.

    Are You Suffering From 'Smartphone Pinky' Or 'WhatsAppitis'? Read On

    CDC Expands Tropical Virus Alert; 22 Destinations On List

    CDC Expands Tropical Virus Alert; 22 Destinations On List
    Health authorities have added eight tropical destinations to a travel alert about an illness linked with a severe birth defect and spread by mosquitoes.

    CDC Expands Tropical Virus Alert; 22 Destinations On List

    Exercise Counters Brain Shrinkage In Parkinson's Disease

    Exercise Counters Brain Shrinkage In Parkinson's Disease
    By protecting the brain from shrinkage, aerobic exercise may slow the progression of Parkinsons disease, a progressive disorder of the nervous system, says a neurologist.

    Exercise Counters Brain Shrinkage In Parkinson's Disease

    CDC: Ask Pregnant Women About Trips To Zika Outbreak Areas

    CDC: Ask Pregnant Women About Trips To Zika Outbreak Areas
    NEW YORK — U.S. health officials issued new guidance Tuesday for doctors whose pregnant patients may have travelled to regions with a tropical illness linked to birth defects.

    CDC: Ask Pregnant Women About Trips To Zika Outbreak Areas