CountryThousands of victims of infected blood scam have been “being damaged further”, waiting for a long time for compensation, the chairman of the public inquiry into the disaster.
In a hard-touching report, Sir Bryan Langstaff said that the way the plan was prepared, there were “clear injustice”.
It is believed that 30,000 people from HIV and Hepatitis B or C were infected in the 1970s and 80s after being given contaminated blood products on NHS.
The government has separated £ 11.8bn to pay compensation and said it is cutting red tape to speed up the victims.
The main report of the investigation in the scandal published last year found that at that time the disaster could be avoided to a large extent by taking separate decisions by the health officials.
It was said that in the 1970s and 80s, it was greatly reduced to prevent imports of blood products from abroad, and evidence was that the elements of the scam were covered.
In May this year, Sir Bryan took an unusual step to order an additional hearing of two days after the email “letter after the letter, after the email, email” email “expressing concern about the manner in which the government’s compensation plan was managed for the victims.
His additional 200-page report published on Wednesday was based on the evidence, and found that the victims were “further damaged” from the way the victims were treated in the last 12 months.
The latest figures of the infected blood compensation Authority (IBCA), which were established by the government to administer payment, suggest that 2,043 people have been asked to start their claims so far and 460 have received full compensation.
The scheme is open to those who were infected and their family members, including parents, children and brothers, who can claim compensation in themselves as someone affected by the scam.
The new report by Sir Bryan found that the victims were “further damaged” in the last 12 months.
He said, “The UK government has known for years that compensation was unavoidable for thousands of people and many of them had identified which it should have been.”
“But only 460 have received compensation so far and many, many more procedures have not been allowed to start.”
Kate Burt, CEO of the Hemophilia Society, said: “The government’s failure to listen to those in the heart of the contaminated blood scam has been again exposed by infected blood inquiry.
“This failure is tired, harmful and is separating this community from its dignity.”
He asked “Fair and Fast” to take “immediate action” on compensation disposal, saying: “Then he can move beyond the past and focus on his future remains in the end.”
The new report of the inquiry includes a series of recommendations:
- The victims should be allowed to apply for compensation instead of waiting for invitation to be invited.
- Victims and family members who are seriously ill, old, or those who have never received compensation should get priority
- For example, a series of “injustice” needs to be addressed, for example, some victims were allowed to infect with HIV before 1982
- NHS patients who were victims of medical experiments should receive additional payments
- The system should be infected as a whole and more transparent with greater participation of their families
Speaking at the Westminster Chapel after his report was published, Sir Bryan said that an important reason for the blood scam was that the authorities knew the best and people did not need to consult.
He said: “The decisions were made behind the closed doors and people were not listening when things went wrong.
“This is again in the design of the compensation scheme. It will be a trip to repeat these mistakes. People should not be kept at the length of arms.”
Earlier, cabinet office minister Nick Thomas-Simonds denied that the government was “pulling its heel” on compensation “.
He told the BBC Radio 4 program that he did not want to delay any other delay after “injustice of decades”.
He said, “We have paid more than £ 488m,” he said “he was very open that I am ready to see, hearing the voice of the victims”.
The government also said in the last weekend that it was cutting red tape and taking other action to speed up compensation to the victims and their families.
