Payment for blood and plasma would be banned in British Columbia under legislation introduced today.
Health Minister Adrian Dix has introduced legislation barring any sales through private clinics follwoing the lead of three other provinces.
The Kamloops co-chair of the BC Health Coalition, Rick Turner says the legislation will protect the public blood donor system.
“In those few jurisdictions where they were engaged in pay for plasma the whole donor system broke down. People weren’t donating anymore because they expected to be paid for all blood services including those where people desperately needed blood after a horrible car accident for example.”
He also says under pay-for-plasma systems in other jurisdictions blood would go out-of-country for processing.
“That blood that originally came from canadians would not necessarily get back to Canada again.”
Under the legislation people who violate the law could be fined up to $10,000 for a first offence, and companies would pay $100,000 for a first offence and $500,000 for each violation thereafter.