The agency confirmed it received mandatory reports from the clinics after the donors suffered fatal adverse reactions during procedures in October 2025 and January 2026, just over three months apart
Health Canada, the federal department responsible for Canadians’ health, is investigating the deaths of two plasma donors at for-profit clinics in Winnipeg, Manitoba, including a 22-year-old Nigerian international student, The New York Times reported on Friday.
The agency confirmed it received mandatory reports from the clinics after the donors suffered fatal adverse reactions during procedures in October 2025 and January 2026, just over three months apart.
Both incidents occurred at facilities operated by Grifols, a Spanish healthcare company that runs 17 clinics across Canada, including two in Winnipeg.
Health Canada subsequently sent inspectors to both locations.
Friends identified one of the deceased as Rodiyat Alabede, a Nigerian student training to become a social worker and active in Winnipeg’s Muslim Nigerian community.
The identity of the second donor has not been disclosed due to privacy laws.
Stephanie Holfeld, Executive Director of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Manitoba, told The New York Times that Alabede became unresponsive during the donation and died shortly afterwards.
She added that the death has not yet been formally linked to plasma donation and that “certain investigative steps may still be in progress.”
Chioma Ijoma, a friend, described Alabede as “motherly, protective and sweet. She never gave up, even when things got difficult for her.”
Grifols offered condolences to the families but said there was no reason to believe the deaths were connected to plasma donation.
The company added that donors undergo extensive health evaluations before being cleared, that both incidents were reported within the required 72-hour window, and that it has launched an internal investigation.
Plasma donation involves drawing blood, separating plasma, and returning red blood cells to the donor.
It is often used by cash-strapped students and low-income earners in Canada and the United States to supplement their income.
Grifols advertises that regular donors can earn around 6,000 Canadian dollars per year, roughly 4,400 US dollars or about 7.2 million naira.
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