Exploring the increasing need for plasma collection: Perspectives of voluntary nonremunerated donors on payment for plasma in Canada.

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to understand how voluntary nonremunerated plasma donors in Canada view payment for plasma and the emerging commercial sector. There is a growing global demand for plasma, to produce plasma-derived medical products. Source plasma for these products is collected through voluntary nonremunerated donation, sometimes by a national blood service, or by a commercial plasma collector, remunerating donors. This paper presents findings from qualitative semi-structured interviews with source plasma donors in three new source plasma centres in Canada. Interview data were analysed using abductive analysis, an interpretivist approach that builds on grounded theory. This study indicates that there are a range of perspectives on payment for plasma and the emerging commercial sector, from disinterest in payment, to opposition to payment based on the belief that it could undermine donating to help others, and risk public health and safety. One fifth of participants are open to CBS paying donors if it is necessary to increase national sufficiency of plasma. Almost two thirds of participants are opposed to commercial plasma collection in Canada, claiming that it could undermine Canada's public healthcare system, raising questions about transparency and accountability of the commercial plasma industry. Findings point to important areas for future study, on publicly collected source plasma, the emerging commercial plasma sector, and the role of the donor as a social actor in a complex political system.