A public inquiry into a contaminated blood scandal which is believed to have led to the deaths of more than 2,000 British haemophiliacs over the past 30 years has finally got underway.
Described by Theresa May as “a tragedy that should never have happened”, it has been labelled the worst treatment scandal in the history of the NHS. The PM said it has “caused unimaginable pain and hurt for victims and their families for decades”.
What prompted the inquiry?
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About 4,800 people with haemophilia were accidentally infected with hepatitis C or HIV in the 1970s and 1980s.
The cases can be traced back to the use of a new “wonder drug” made from the pooled blood plasma of tens of thousands of donors to help treat the rare condition, which prevents blood from clotting properly.
During this period, the NHS imported Factor 8 from the US, where only later was it revealed that high-risk groups like prisoners had been paid to give blood.
The Daily Telegraph says “two previous inquiries have been branded a whitewash by campaigners”.
What happened to those given Factor 8?
In 2015, a parliamentary report found that about 7,500 patients had been infected by blood products. Of those, some 1,200 were infected with HIV, including many young children of primary school age. Only 250 are still alive today.
An even greater number are believed to have contracted hepatitis C, which affects more than 150 million people around the world, and can lead to liver failure and cancer.
Since the inquiry was announced in July 2017, campaign groups estimate that more than 150 infected haemophiliacs have died, raising the total number of fatalities to more than 2,400.
What are they hoping to find out?
The first day of the inquiry, which is expected to last up to three years, “was packed with victims and bereaved relatives” reports The Guardian. “Many wore black, red and yellow ties – black in memory of those who have died, red for HIV and yellow for hepatitis C. There were rounds of applause as the judge and witnesses spoke.”
However, the first day also led to controversary, after the government announced it will set aside less than £30m to compensate victims.
Campaign groups have responded angrily to what they say is a “derisory offer” and an “attempt to overshadow an important day for the victims”.
A total of £75m has now been set aside for financial support for those in England affected by the scandal, but Jason Evans, founder of the Factor 8 campaign group, said the new offer from the government would equate to less than £900 per person.
He said the government had failed to take responsibility for the scandal.
“Victims and relatives want to know why warnings about the safety of the medicine may have been ignored,” the BBC reports, “why plans to make the UK self-sufficient in blood products were scrapped, and why many documents and patient records appear to have been lost or destroyed”.
