Health Canada is investigating the deaths of two plasma donors at for-profit clinics in Winnipeg, Manitoba, including that of a 22-year-old Nigerian international student, authorities confirmed on Friday.
The federal agency received mandatory reports from the clinics following fatal adverse reactions after procedures in October 2025 and January 2026, just over three months apart, at locations operated by Grifols, a Spanish healthcare company that runs 17 clinics across Canada, including two in Winnipeg. Health Canada subsequently dispatched inspectors to both facilities.
Friends identified one of the deceased as Rodiyat Alabede, a 22-year-old Nigerian international student who was training to become a social worker and was active in the Muslim Nigerian community in Winnipeg. She relocated from Nigeria to Winnipeg in 2022 to pursue her studies at the University of Winnipeg.
“She had a motherly side to her, she was protective and sweet. She never gave up, even when things got difficult for her,” said Chioma Ijoma, a nursing student and friend of Alabede.
Mary Ann Chika, another close friend, was the one to identify Alabede at the hospital after she was pronounced dead. She said doctors told her Alabede’s heart stopped beating while she was donating plasma at the Grifols Plasma Donation Centre on Taylor Avenue.
The identity of the second donor, who died in January after donating at Grifols’ Innovation Drive location, was not disclosed, with both the medical examiner’s office and Health Canada citing 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 procedure and died shortly afterwards, though she noted the death had not yet been formally linked to the plasma donation and that “certain investigative steps may still be in progress.”
Grifols, in a statement, expressed condolences to the families. “We have no reason to believe that there is a correlation between the donors’ passing and plasma donation,” the company said, adding that donors undergo extensive health evaluations before being cleared.
The company said it reported both incidents within the required 72-hour window and has since launched an internal investigation. Following the deaths, Grifols posted a policy change requiring donors to wait at least 48 hours between consecutive sessions, effective March 9.
Plasma donation is a process in which blood is drawn, the plasma is separated from red blood cells, and the red blood cells are returned to the donor. It is commonly used by cash-strapped students and low-income earners as a means of supplementing their income, with Grifols advertising that regular donors can earn around 6,000 Canadian dollars (approximately $4,400 USD or about 7.2 million naira) per year.
Health Canada later revealed that a total of four fatal adverse reactions have occurred in the last decade, with three in Manitoba and one in Quebec. The regulator stated that its assessment has not identified a link between the deaths and plasma donation, but investigations continue.
The deaths have sparked debate about paid plasma donation in Canada. Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said banning paid plasma is “an option on the table,” while public health advocates have criticized the lack of transparency and called for Grifols and Canadian Blood Services to fully reveal the terms of their agreement.
“We’re going to do everything we can to make sure that the families have all the answers that they need and deserve here,” Asagwara said.
For Alabede’s loved ones, who fondly called her Rody, her death has laid bare systemic failures. An Islamic burial was held for her in November, but her mother, back in Côte d’Ivoire, could not attend. “Last I spoke to her, she was just exhausted. It is the greatest sadness of her life to lose her daughter in this way,” said family friend Ifeoluwa Oyewumi.
