Victims of 'infected blood' scandal to receive substantial compensation

An inquiry into the UK scandal where 30,000 people were infected with HIV and hepatitis viruses through contaminated blood received during medical treatment between 1970 and 1991 has concluded.

The results of the inquiry, announced yesterday, revealed that British authorities were negligent in the exposure of tens of thousands of patients to fatal infections via contaminated blood and that the facts regarding this catastrophe had been concealed for decades.

The infected blood scandal, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 3,000 people and left many others with lifelong illnesses, has been recorded as the largest and deadliest scandal in the history of the British health system.

1,250 PATIENTS WERE GIVEN BLOOD CARRYING THE HIV VIRUS

According to the report, which was prepared after hearing from more than 5,000 witnesses and examining over 100,000 documents, 1,250 patients with bleeding disorders—380 of whom were children—were given blood products carrying the HIV virus as part of the scandalous practices.

Three-quarters of these patients lost their lives. Approximately 5,000 patients who were given infected blood products contracted chronic Hepatitis C.

The number of people infected with the Hepatitis C virus during blood transfusions while in hospitals for childbirth, surgery, or accidents was announced as 26,800.

Former Judge Brian Langstaff, who prepared the final report of the public inquiry, accused British governments and health system officials of committing a series of wrongs to protect their own image and avoid expenses.

Langstaff pointed out that there were also instances where government officials destroyed certain documents to cover up the scandal.

The infected blood scandal in the British health system began in the 1970s when the UK adopted a new treatment method used in the US.

The collection of blood from high-risk donors, such as prisoners and drug addicts, led to the entry of infected blood samples into the system. Practices such as mixing the blood plasma of thousands of donors during the production process of blood products created a situation where even a single donor carrying a virus caused a very large quantity of products to become infected.

BILLIONS OF POUNDS IN COMPENSATION TO BE PAID TO VICTIMS

The UK government will pay up to 2.6 million pounds in compensation to patients and their relatives who were exposed to HIV and Hepatitis viruses by being given “infected blood” between 1970 and 1991, depending on the severity of the situation. According to the plan, the first final payments will begin by the end of the year, and an interim payment of 210,000 pounds will also be made to eligible recipients this summer.

PRIME MINISTER APOLOGIZED

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apologized to the victims, stating that the day the inquiry report was published was a day of shame for the British state.

Promising to correct the historical wrong in his speech at the House of Commons on Monday, Sunak said, “I am truly sorry. Today’s report marks a moral failure that has persisted at the heart of our national life for decades. From the National Health Service to the Civil Service and ministers in successive governments, the people and institutions we trusted have failed in the most horrific and devastating way.”