RE: When Blood Donation goes Commercial
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In the United States, the medical establishment looks down on buying blood. However, companies are able to buy plasma ... which is pretty much the same thing.
There are large companies that operate plasma collection centers. I listed a few of the plasma collection centers on Internet Rivers.
The collection centers are usually located in marginal communities. Places where people need money. Personally, I think it is a good structure because it provides people who need money with an alternative source of money. The networks are good about screening plasma donation candidates.
Labs can draw monoclonal antibodies for COVID19 (and other diseases) from the blood. The monoclonal antibodies are one of the most successful treatments for COVID19.
We could have a robust market where people who had COVID19 sold their blood extract the monoclonal antibodies. This would provide people with income while providing a treatment for the pandemic.
Unfortunately, the ruling elite that runs the health care industry will not allow the market to work. The ruling elite want to use COVID19 as a control mechanism so they down play treatments that could save lives.
Thanks for such an insightful addition to the article. I totally agree with most of the things you said. I don't have any problem with the commercialization as long as the focus is not on profit and donors are properly screened.
IMHO, "profit" is not the problem. A profit occurs whenever the thing produced is more valuable than the thing invested.
If a person who had COVID19 sells blood and a lab extracts the monoclonal antibodies; then the lab created a valuable treatment for COVID19. The difference between the cost or extracting the blood and the treatment is profit.
Profit is a wonderful thing.
The thing we need to avoid is exploitation. Exploitation happens when the source of the blood is not compensated or if it is taken from people in ways that harm the donor.
It is ironic, but the blood donation system which refuses to compensate the donors for their time and effort is engaged in exploitation while the plasma centers that pay for the blood end up distributing money to people who are often in need of the money.