In Colombia, any type of remuneration for donating blood is prohibited; raffles, food, or advertising are not allowed. Although the concern to avoid perverse incentives, as is the case with organs, is understandable, Colombia stands out as one of the most restrictive countries in the world in terms of blood donation. Despite our high rates of violence and road accidents, there are no effective measures to combat the structural deficit in the country’s blood supply. Meanwhile, the US has become the global leader in sales of blood products, generating US$37 billion, surpassing its exports of coal and gold. Colombia should allow economic compensation for blood donations, not only to cover its internal deficit, but also to export to other countries.
According to The Economist magazine, 80% of global plasma comes from just five countries: the US, Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Hungary, where philosophical debates about the possibility of paying for blood donations were quickly resolved. Extraction is a simple process: the plasma is separated and the rest is returned to the body, without causing harm, as the body naturally replaces the impact of the transfusion. According to CSL Plasma centers, a donor in the US can receive a monthly income of between $2 and $4 million, in Spain the figure is close to $1.3 million. Clearly, the financial incentive motivates people to donate.
Law 919 of 2004 imposed criminal sanctions for remuneration in blood donations, despite the fact that several decrees and resolutions already regulated the issue. This legislation was motivated by the ethical complexity that someone, out of economic necessity, could offer part of their body, such as organs, that would cause permanent harm. Additionally, she was influenced by email chains of macabre stories of organ theft. However, it is difficult to understand why blood was included in these restrictions. Offering gifts for a blood donation can lead to three to six years in prison. It is not a good use of the police or the judicial apparatus to be trying to put a doctor in prison for giving a t-shirt to a donor.
Currently, Colombia produces less than one million “pints” (450 ml units) of blood, while requiring 1,450,000 based on its population. And this amount is based on the difficulty of obtaining plasma for different therapies; if there were sufficient availability, its medical use would probably increase. If blood production were allowed to increase in the country, it would be reasonable to force the national need to be met before exporting. During Covid-19, demand for blood skyrocketed and the inability to donate collapsed global inventories. It was so serious that Italy and France announced rationing.
It is very easy to be more papist than the Pope and oppose everything. The opportunity to have more medical supplies to lower costs and give doctors greater flexibility makes sense. There is also great economic opportunity for many citizens. It may be time to end hypocrisy in blood, we can compete with the US and Germany, at least in this.
