The U.K. government has announced that victims of the infected blood scandal will start receiving their final compensation payments this year, following a report that found civil servants and doctors exposed patients to unacceptable risks by giving them contaminated blood transfusions or blood products. This scandal is considered one of the deadliest disasters in the history of Britain’s National Health Service, with an estimated 3,000 people dying and around 30,000 infected with HIV or hepatitis C. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak issued an apology for the “decades-long moral failure” at the heart of the national life.
Cabinet Office Minister John Glen informed lawmakers that victims who urgently need payments will receive an additional interim compensation of 210,000 pounds within 90 days, ahead of the establishment of the full payment plan. Friends and family members who have cared for those infected will also be eligible to claim compensation. The government had already made a first interim payment of 100,000 pounds to each survivor and bereaved partner in 2022, but there are concerns that many bereaved families have not received any payments and have no information on how to claim interim payments for those who have died.
Campaigners have been pushing for official acknowledgment of failings and government compensation for decades, leading to the approval of an inquiry in 2017. Over the past four years, the inquiry reviewed evidence from thousands of witnesses and documents, revealing that many affected individuals were people with hemophilia who were given contaminated blood products. The report highlighted the use of plasma from high-risk donors, including prison inmates, in blood products that led to infections. It also noted that steps to address known risks linked to blood transfusions or blood products were not taken, resulting in the unnecessary harm to thousands of people.
The report concluded that the disaster could have been largely avoided if officials had taken steps to address the risks associated with blood transfusions and blood products. It also highlighted the lack of rigorous screening of blood products and blood donor selection in the U.K. compared to many other developed countries. The inquiry pointed out that the harm done was exacerbated by a culture of concealment and defensiveness within the government and health services. The compensation package for victims is estimated to cost more than 10 billion pounds, but concerns remain about the distribution of payments and support for bereaved families who have been left without compensation.
