Health care advocates from across Canada are renewing calls to end for‑profit plasma collection and bring the system fully into public control, following the deaths of two paid plasma donors in Winnipeg and mounting evidence of regulatory non‑compliance at private clinics operated by multinational giant Grifols.
At a media conference this week, coalitions representing patients, labour, and public health care advocates emphasized that the issue goes beyond isolated incidents, pointing instead to structural problems tied to profit‑driven plasma collection. Noah Schulz, director of the Manitoba Health Coalition, argued that transparency and accountability are essential to restoring public trust and preventing further harm.
Health Canada has completed its assessment of the two recent Winnipeg deaths and stated that they were not linked to the plasma donation process. “Its assessment found no evidence of a machine malfunction and the equipment performed as expected,” Health Canada spokesperson Mark Johnson wrote, adding that reviews consider “the timing of events, cause of death, medical history and any incidents during the plasma collection.”
Even so, Schulz said the findings leave critical questions unanswered.