"In response to Tom Voûte's letter about Plasma Resources UK (24 April), I would like to offer reassurance about the future of blood and organ donation. NHS Blood and Transplant is not being privatised and was not part of the recent changes in health legislation. Our services were reviewed in 2011 and ministers endorsed our unique and valuable role in saving lives through blood and organ donation. Making any financial transaction in exchange for an organ is illegal. Any suggestion of selling or buying organs would completely undermine public trust, and lead to fewer organs being donated and more people dying unnecessarily waiting for a transplant. The blood that we supply is on a not-for-profit basis and the prices that we charge to hospitals are based on covering the cost of collection, testing, processing and delivery. Plasma Resources is owned by the government and is a separate business. We do not supply blood or blood components to PRUK.
Lynda Hamlyn
Chief executive, NHS Blood and Transplant"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/apr/30/no-nhs-transplant-blood-donation