John MacDonald: Blood from a stone - time to pay donors

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald

This could be seen as a slippery slope. Or just a pragmatic idea worth thinking about.

I’m talking about the New Zealand Initiative think tank, which doesn't think it makes sense for New Zealand to keep banning people from being paid to donate blood plasma. It says we should be paying them.

I think what they’re saying is very pragmatic and, in fact, I’d extend it. I think we should start paying people who make any sort of donation to the blood service.

So that’d be people who donate plasma and people who donate blood. But, at the moment, that’s banned here in New Zealand.

In case you don’t know, they are two very different processes - the plasma donation and the blood donation. I didn’t know much about it either until this morning when I spoke with a colleague of ours who donates plasma.

The blood donations you can do every six months. The plasma donations you can do every two weeks for medicines for people who have rare diseases or who have conditions such as immunodeficiencies, autoimmune disorders, neurodegenerative diseases and haemophilia.

But if enough plasma isn’t donated here, the only option is to buy it in from overseas.

And this is the aspect of it all that convinces me that it’s a no-brainer to start paying plasma donors here. In fact, paying all blood donors.

Because if we can’t source enough plasma locally - relying on the goodwill of people to turn up every fortnight and donate - then we have to get on the blower to plasma suppliers overseas.

At the moment, most of the plasma we need is sourced locally. But, as the New Zealand Initiative is pointing out, it’s a pretty tenuous reliance. And this is where I get to the point of thinking that they’re onto something here.

Because, when we bring in plasma from overseas, it generally comes from countries where they do pay people to donate. The United States is the main one. People there get paid for donating and so they have plenty to share.

Which, technically, doesn’t make them donors, does it? They’re suppliers. But you get what I mean. In places like the United States, people go in, provide some of their plasma and they’re paid a fee.

And the New Zealand Initiative is saying it’s nutbar - my words, not theirs - but what they’re saying is why would we not pay plasma donors here, then find we don’t have enough, and then end up bringing the stuff in from overseas that’s come from people who have been paid.

It happens in other countries too. And, according to the New Zealand Institute, in places where they have started paying people for plasma, donation rates have gone up.

Here’s an example: Alberta in Canada.

In 2020, they did away with their ban on compensating people for plasma and, in just three years, it is about to be the only province in Canada that isn’t reliant on bringing plasma in from elsewhere.

That’s simply because, with money on the table, more people are rolling up their sleeves.

I know we like to think of ourselves here in New Zealand as a nation of servers - you know, we do the right thing for king and country - but it’s not the case is it?

We take some sort of pride in running things on an oily rag - but half the time that is relying on other people to pitch in and help.

And what the New Zealand Initiative is saying, is that we shouldn't be taking such a “she’ll be right” attitude when it comes to something as vital as blood plasma which - when it comes down to it - keeps people alive on a daily basis.

We’re just like anywhere else. And I’d put money on donor rates here going up if people got paid for it.

And I’d not just be comfortable with plasma donors (or plasma “suppliers”) being paid. I think anyone who gives blood to the blood service should be paid too.

We pay for water, which is essential for life. So why aren’t we paying for blood which is just as essential. Actually, it’s more essential, isn’t it?

Now, as usual, I want to find out where you stand on this. And I know it’s possible that you might not be in favour of paying people for their blood and their plasma because of what I mentioned right at the start. That it could be seen as a bit of a slippery slope.

Because if we’re going to start paying these people - why aren’t we paying people for other bodily donations they make for the benefit of others?

For example, if we started paying blood and plasma donors - would organ donors be putting their hand out wanting something in exchange?

Would people who plan to donate their bodies to scientific research want to talk turkey? I reckon my body’s worth this - you can have it if you’re happy to pay for it?

I don’t think that would happen at all. Because, from what I can see, there’s no evidence of that happening in either places where blood and plasma are exchanged for money.

So I’m all for what’s being proposed today. And I wouldn't stop at plasma. I’d want people who donate plasma and blood paid something for their contribution.

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