Payment for blood donotions

Parliament recently discussed the Human Blood and Transplants Act.

First of all, I would like to congratulate our parliamentary members from both sides for having debated this law in the most constructive manner possible, especially Mario Galea for putting his money, or rather his blood, where his mouth is and suggesting that the parliamentary members should go as a group to donate blood, and Anglu Farrugia who promoted the local organ donors group and the important work it does for patients who need an organ transplant. In the debate, much was said about the ethical problem of paying the blood donors and at the same time about the practical problems we have with the supply of blood for operations, some of which may need up to 40 or 50 bags of blood.

I think that one should really consider the idea of having the blood bank pay for the blood given, just like the Americans do. The bank would pay only when the donor's blood is certified to be healthy and usable for transfusion. This will ensure that we lose no donations when our blood supplies happen to be too low.