Evidence of meeting #39 for Health in the 40th Parliament, 3rd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was cells.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
Dr. Carrie, I think we have to go to Dr. Dhalla now and then back to you, if you'd like to continue on.
Dr. Dhalla.
November 23rd, 2010 / 12:30 p.m.
Liberal
Ruby Dhalla Liberal Brampton—Springdale, ON
Thank you so much for coming before the committee and for your insightful presentations and for the great work that you're doing.
I want to congratulate the Canadian Blood Services. I know you've been working quite a bit in constituencies like mine, in Brampton--Springdale, which are very ethnically diverse, to be able to reach out. Perhaps you could share with the committee some of the initiatives you have under way for the OneMatch program to reach out to ethnically diverse Canadians from all across the country, in terms of collections, but also in terms of increasing awareness and reaching out to educate them on the services that exist and that you provide.
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Blood Services
Madam Chair, if it's okay with you, I'll have Jennifer Philippe provide a brief answer to it.
Jennifer Philippe Director, OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network, Canadian Blood Services
Thank you, Madam Chair.
During the last two years, the OneMatch stem cell and marrow network has really focused on establishing partnerships with leaders in diverse communities, and we have had a huge success in educating leaders and getting them then to engage their community on the need to support patients within the community. We have partnerships with our Asian community. The OtherHalf Chinese stem cell awareness initiative in Toronto is one such group that actively recruits donors of Asian heritage to the network, and we have seen unprecedented registration through that community. Last year alone, in a one-day event, that committee registered 4,025 new donors. Most of them were ethnic--I'd say 99%--and the majority of them were under the age of 30. The younger the donor, the happier the stem cells, the better the outcome for the patient.
We have such partnerships with groups in the South Asian community in both Toronto and in British Columbia. We have groups in the Latin American community as well, and we have found that that has been a very good template to use in engaging communities where we need to encourage donors to join.
Liberal
Ruby Dhalla Liberal Brampton—Springdale, ON
Thank you.
Perhaps very quickly, because I'm sure we're short on time, if you had your ideal wish, a recommendation you would give--I know you mentioned the national registry that needs to be created for a cord blood bank--and you could perhaps provide that to the committee with any additional recommendations you would like to see in the report, that would be beneficial.
Does each of you want to quickly give a recommendation or a suggestion?
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Blood Services
Dr. Dhalla, I would say what I said a minute ago, which is the support of this committee for Canada having an integrated and accredited system, as Dr. Wall said--I think she really hit the nail on the head--of cord blood banking that meets if not exceeds international standards. We must aspire to the highest level of quality in the bank we're creating.
Executive Medical Director, Alberta Cord Blood Bank
I think the emphasis is on a system rather than a monolithic system, because we already have, within our country here, a lot of expertise, and we shouldn't let that go to waste.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
Thank you.
Are you finished? Thank you so much.
Now we'll go to Ms. McLeod, please.
Conservative
Cathy McLeod Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I want to focus on two different questions. Perhaps I'll just give you my questions and leave it open. First, I think I heard from Canadian Blood Services that you were looking to have 20,000 units. And then I also heard from the program in Quebec that they have the same goal. So first of all, are those aligned?
We talked about the cost internationally, but, for example, I'm from British Columbia, and it doesn't sound as though there is a system in place there. So if I were in need of a treatment and my match was in Quebec, would the B.C. government be having to pay $25,000 or $30,000 to Quebec?
Conservative
Vice-President, Stem Cells, Human Tissues and Reference Laboratory Operations, Héma-Québec
Yes, exactly.
That is already the case. There are hospital centres in the Vancouver area that are performing cord blood transplants. The Children's & Women's Health Centre of British Columbia and the Vancouver General Hospital have transplanted three and six units respectively. Those hospitals paid the international blood cord bank somewhere between $25,000 and $35,000 to do those transplants.
Does that answer your question, specifically?
Conservative
Cathy McLeod Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC
From Quebec it goes through an international payment system? Okay. Thank you. That clarifies that.
Vice-President, Stem Cells, Human Tissues and Reference Laboratory Operations, Héma-Québec
If you look at it the other way around, it is actually the province of the transplant hospital. A public bank, such as Héma-Québec's, supplies the cord blood. The hospital doing the transplant is responsible for the costs; it is the one that has to pay the bill. So if a hospital in Vancouver is performing the transplant, the British Columbia government is responsible for assuming the costs of that cord blood, regardless of where it comes from.
Conservative
Cathy McLeod Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC
And what if the transplant were required in Quebec? Would it be the same thing?
Vice-President, Stem Cells, Human Tissues and Reference Laboratory Operations, Héma-Québec
It works the same way.
Conservative
Cathy McLeod Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC
My next question--and this relates perhaps to the challenges of getting donations, and again more generally--is whether the placenta and the cord blood are deemed to belong to the mother or the fetus. Many years ago--and I perhaps date myself here--I think the hospitals deemed them to be a byproduct and actually sold them to the pharmaceutical companies at that time. Again, that was a long time ago.
Is there a permission process? Are there cultural issues in terms of donations? Are there challenges?
Director, Manitoba Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Pediatrics and Child Health, Internal Medicine and Immunology, University of Manitoba, CancerCare Manitoba
I can take that one.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
We're going to start with Ms. Gillham-Eisen. You wanted to respond, and then....
I'm sorry. Go ahead, Dr. Wall. I can't see you, but I can hear you.
Director, Manitoba Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Pediatrics and Child Health, Internal Medicine and Immunology, University of Manitoba, CancerCare Manitoba
Legally, they're considered waste products. But because there is a value attached to them, we do have very rigorous consenting in the donation, and we use the mother as the person who is giving permission for the cord blood, which legally would belong to the infant.
Interesting legal issues for cord blood units are raised if they are banked past the year of consent, so past the age of 18 or 19, which, to the best of my knowledge, nobody has tried to sort out legally.
Conservative
Manager, Blood, Cells, Tissues, Organs and Xenografts, Office of Policy and International Collaboration, Biologics and Genetic Therapies Directorate, Department of Health
Under the regulations, the donor is the child. But surrogate testing as well as a physical exam are done of the mother, simply because of the relationship, and the mother would have the risk, not the child. But the donor is the child, under the regulations.
Conservative