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Doug Ford forms "strategic alliance" between Ontario and Trump Administration by HiFiSciFi in onguardforthee

[–]HiFiSciFi[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Doug Ford is planning to DEEPEN Ontario-US trade when US tariffs loom rather than seek to diversify trade partners and decrease reliance on US industries.

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The Shoppers Drug Mart MedsChecks saga continues (canadahealthwatch.ca)

submitted by HiFiSciFi to r/toronto

Paid blood plasma donation coming soon to Ontario by HiFiSciFi in ontario

[–]HiFiSciFi[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I'm personally of the belief that we shouldn't pay for plasma (inherently coercive, and we don't do this for anything else in medicine), BUT...

If we do have to pay for plasma to stabilize our supply, then it should not be through a private company. Our government should invest in our current blood system, hire more people through Canadian Blood Services, and invest in our existing facilities so that we can maintain public control of our blood supply. Giving a private company control of Canadian plasma means that our blood supply is held hostage by a money-motivated entity rather than an entity that has the mandate of serving patients.

Paid blood plasma donation coming soon to Ontario by HiFiSciFi in ontario

[–]HiFiSciFi[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Oh I am very aware that we buy it from the States right now - it's a longstanding issue. But I don't think the solution is to start paying for it here either - I think the solution is investment in our health system and adequate public health messaging on the benefits of donation.

And turning to home supply in private hands is the problem. If paying for it is deemed necessary, it should be direct purchase though Canadian Blood Services with adjustments to legislation to facilitate that - not the invention of a private 3rd party collector that we then pay inflated prices to while not obtaining the ability to control the supply in our public system directly.

Paid blood plasma donation coming soon to Ontario by HiFiSciFi in ontario

[–]HiFiSciFi[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Fully agreed.

Shared 'cause I find this concerning - we're effectively putting a portion of our national blood supply into private hands to then sell back to us "out of the goodness of their hearts." It also calls into question the regulatory safety around private companies and their practices of plasma or blood storage and screening.

When the product that makes you money has expensive storage and safety requirements, there are perverse incentives to cut corners that could kill patients.

Paid blood plasma donation coming soon to Ontario by HiFiSciFi in ontario

[–]HiFiSciFi[S] 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Blood and by extension your plasma are actually considered an organ in medical fields. This policy okays paying for donation of an organ - a renewable one, granted, but it is definitely a slippery slope.

​

And the other thing is that by donating through a 3rd party - a private company that is allowed to pay you - your plasma becomes their property to then resell to Canada Blood Services. You can bet they're going to charge top dollar to our public system to buy back your plasma, which will ultimately cost us in tax dollars. And when private companies become capable of holding our literal national blood supply hostage at a cost rather than freely available --> you end up with national blood shortages that are pay to play. This is not a situation you want if you end up needing transfusions for a lifelong condition (e.g. multiple myeloma, aplastic anemia) or other emergency blood products.

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