Blood Donor Week

We are pleased to celebrate June 13 – 19, 2016 as Blood Donor Week in Canada, and June 14 as Blood Donor Day.

In Canada, our blood supply is managed by two not-for-profit organizations – Hema-Quebec and Canadian Blood Services. Members of NSGEU Local 43 work for Canadian Blood Services as Laboratory Technologists, Lab Assistants, Biomedical Technologists, Equipment Specialists, and Laboratory Secretaries.

National Blood Donor Week and Day were pronounced in order to raise the awareness of the importance of blood donation to the lives of our fellow Canadians. Over half of Canadians will require blood or blood products for themselves or a family member during their lifetime. Blood Donor Week is a good time to donate if you are able. You can call or visit the Canadian Blood Services website for more information at www.blood.ca.

Our Canadian public health care system provides health care and blood services to all Canadians regardless of income. It is one thing, among many, we hold in common. Our health care system, however, is continually under threat of privatization. The latest has been “for-profit” blood clinics here in Nova Scotia. According to the Coast, the privately owned Canadian Plasma Resources has met with provincial government officials about opening pay-for-plasma clinics in this province. The CEO of this company confirmed to the NDP that the Liberal government is supportive of the idea. http://www.thecoast.ca/RealityBites/archives/2016/03/11/for-profit-plasma-clinics-exploit-blood-for-profit-say-ndp.

The NSGEU and the Nova Scotia Health Coalition are opposed to for-profit blood clinics due to the potential impact pay-for-plasma clinics have on the safety, security and supply of blood and plasma in the province and elsewhere. The World Health Organization has set a goal to eliminate paid blood and plasma donations worldwide by 2020.

Health care is not a commodity to be bought and sold on the market. Visit the Nova Scotia Citizens’ Healthcare Network to send the Minister of Health a message that he should say “no” to pay-for-plasma clinics in Nova Scotia.

http://votepublichealthcare.ca/no-to-pay-for-plasma/