Royal Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in Canada
Encyclopedia
The Royal Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in Canada, more commonly referred to as the Krever Commission or Krever Inquiry, was a Royal commission
headed by Mr Justice Horace Krever established by the Canadian Government in October 1993. It was set up to investigate allegations that the system of government
, private, and non-governmental organization
s responsible for supplying blood
and blood products to the health care system had allowed contaminated blood to be used.
. This independent charitable body supplied donated blood to hospitals or, if the blood was past its expiry date, gave it to Connaught Laboratories, the major producer of blood products in Canada. Connaught had initially been a non-profit company operated by the University of Toronto
; by the 1980s it had been sold into the private sector.
In the late 1970s a crisis emerged. Thousands of people were being infected with HIV
and Hepatitis C
. It became apparent that inadequately screened blood, often coming from high risk populations, was entering the system.
on 26 November 1997. The Krever inquiry recommended the creation of Canadian Blood Services
, an agency which would operate at arms-length from the federal government. It also made recommendations regarding compensation for persons who had received contaminated blood.
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
headed by Mr Justice Horace Krever established by the Canadian Government in October 1993. It was set up to investigate allegations that the system of government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
, private, and non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
s responsible for supplying blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
and blood products to the health care system had allowed contaminated blood to be used.
Background
Since the 1940s, the blood system had largely been the responsibility of the Canadian Red Cross SocietyCanadian Red Cross
The Canadian Red Cross Society is a Canadian humanitarian charitable organization and one of 186 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies....
. This independent charitable body supplied donated blood to hospitals or, if the blood was past its expiry date, gave it to Connaught Laboratories, the major producer of blood products in Canada. Connaught had initially been a non-profit company operated by the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
; by the 1980s it had been sold into the private sector.
In the late 1970s a crisis emerged. Thousands of people were being infected with HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
and Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is an infectious disease primarily affecting the liver, caused by the hepatitis C virus . The infection is often asymptomatic, but chronic infection can lead to scarring of the liver and ultimately to cirrhosis, which is generally apparent after many years...
. It became apparent that inadequately screened blood, often coming from high risk populations, was entering the system.
Recommendations
The Krever Report was tabled in the House of CommonsCanadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
on 26 November 1997. The Krever inquiry recommended the creation of Canadian Blood Services
Canadian Blood Services
Canadian Blood Services is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization that manages the blood supply in all provinces and territories of Canada, outside of Quebec, and oversees the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network . A separate organization, Héma-Québec, operates in the province of Quebec...
, an agency which would operate at arms-length from the federal government. It also made recommendations regarding compensation for persons who had received contaminated blood.
See also
- Health Management Associates scandalHealth Management Associates ScandalHealth Management Associates is a defunct Arkansas-based company involved in a blood-management scandal during the 1980s.-HMA scandal:The Health Management Associates Scandal refers to the sale of tainted blood from HMA to Canadian blood banks.HMA was contracted by the state of Arkansas to provide...
- Tainted blood scandalTainted blood scandalThe terms tainted blood scandal, contaminated blood scandal, or infected blood scandal may be a reference to:*Contaminated haemophilia blood products...
- Factor 8: The Arkansas Prison Blood ScandalFactor 8: The Arkansas Prison Blood ScandalFactor 8: The Arkansas Prison Blood Scandal is a feature length documentary by Arkansas filmmaker and investigative journalist Kelly Duda. Through interviews and presentation of documents and footage, Duda alleges that for more than two decades, the Arkansas prison system profited from selling...
- Contaminated haemophilia blood productsContaminated haemophilia blood productsContaminated hemophilia blood products were a serious public health problem in the late 1970s through 1985. These products caused large numbers of haemophiliacs to become infected with HIV and hepatitis C...