The Human Tissue Bank – History and role

Héma-Québec has been a leader in Québec’s health care sector since 1998. The organization’s mission is to efficiently meet the needs of the Québec population for quality blood and other biological products of human origin.  

Héma-Québec is made possible thanks to more than 1,900 employees, over 200,000 blood, stem cell, mother’s milk and human tissue donors, and thousands of blood drive volunteers. Every year, Héma-Québec supplies Québec hospitals with nearly 800,000 biological products of human origin.    

Héma-Québec is a non-profit organization that operates in a number of different sectors that are highly regulated by national and international standards. Héma-Québec’s comprehensive quality management expertise includes close supplier oversight and a process for monitoring adverse reactions.   

Since 2001, Héma-Québec has managed the largest human tissue bank in Canada, which is also the only one of its kind in Québec. The organization’s tissue collection and processing operations currently meet nearly 60% of human tissue needs for the province’s hospitals. 

Learn more about Héma-Québec’s Human tissue sector

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Frequently asked questions

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On average, it takes 24 to 72 hours to process an order. The client will be informed of the estimated delivery date after placing the order.

We recommend careful inventory management to avoid any shortages.

There may be products you’re used to working with that are no longer available due to not meeting the minimum quality criteria for Héma-Québec’s product catalog. These criteria were established based on the committee of experts’ recommendations.

Customer service is available to answer your questions and help you find the best options to meet your needs.

Héma-Québec continues to offer all of the products needed to treat Quebecers. Based on market demand and recommendations from the groups of specialists involved in this change, Héma-Québec established recommendations for the health and social services network about what products to add, remove or replace. As a result of its procurement strategy, some products have been replaced with equivalent products for quality assurance.

You can email the customer service team at tissus@hema-quebec.qc.ca or call 1-800-267-9711, ext. 2510, between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Outside normal hours and on holidays, you can call the customer service team at 1-800-267-9711, ext. 2510, for 24/7 service.

Héma-Québec’s customer service team is specialized in human tissue products and works to make sure you get the right product at the right time. Our team also communicates with suppliers to handle logistics and, when necessary, importation.

In 2021, Québec’s Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS) mandated Héma-Québec to serve as the sole distributor of human tissue to Québec’s health and social services system. This decision was based on a recommendation of Québec’s biovigilance committee.

On December 2, 2024, Héma-Québec took over distribution of all human tissue products to Québec health care institutions.

Learn more here : Sole human tissue distributor mandate

For products that have not yet been processed, email tissus@hema-quebec.qc.ca to inquire and an Héma-Québec agent will confirm if your change request is possible.

For products delivered that do not conform with your order, first obtain return authorization from Héma-Québec. Then, follow the instructions provided to return or dispose of the product.

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