Some paid plasma donors 'still pretty comfortable with doing it' after deaths

While calls are growing to ban paid plasma donations in light of donor deaths, not everyone agrees stopping it is the best option.

Rodiyat Alabede, 22, died on Oct. 25 after friends say she gave plasma at the Grifols plasma donation centre on Taylor Avenue. Not much is known about a person whose death was reported as a fatal reaction after donating at Grifol's Innovation Drive location on Jan. 30.

Health Canada says another person in Manitoba and someone in Quebec also died after giving plasma sometime since 2016. The federal department didn’t give other details on when, where or how those two people died, and says it has yet to identify a link between the deaths and the plasma collection.

The head of the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg says she's concerned about vulnerable people who might be relying on rolling up their sleeves for money. Executive director Kate Kehler said international students in Manitoba are often crunched for cash because they're charged much higher tuition rates than domestic students.

"You give them an opportunity to make some money, and they're going to take it," she said in a Friday interview with CBC Manitoba's Information Radio.

"Most people, I think their knee-jerk reaction is, 'Oh my God, no, we should just ban that. It should not be allowed.'"

Grifols, a Spain-based company that specializes in producing plasma medicines, has more than a dozen plasma collection centres in Canada. It said an internal review was done and that it had "no reason to believe" there is a link between the deaths and plasma donations.

Earlier this week, the Manitoba Health Coalition called for a thorough investigation" into the two recent deaths. Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara floated the idea of banning paid plasma in the province.

Kehler worries a ban could hurt the people who need the money they receive from Grifol and affect the number of plasma donations being made.

"That takes away somebody's autonomy," she said. "There would be a gap created that we wouldn't be able to fill."

Winnipeggers who went to Grifol locations Friday shared the same concerns with CBC News.

Jonathan Siwalk, who has been giving plasma on and off for more than a year, says he uses the money he earns to offset some costs of living. He worries about how a possible ban could affect him.

"You don't have as many groceries. You don't take your kids to as many events and things like that. It'd be pretty impactful," he told CBC News.

Siwalk urged anyone interested in getting paid for plasma donations to be honest with staff members.