You may recall the scandal where imported blood between 1970 and 1991 was found to have been contaminated, leaving thousands of people suffering from lifelong blood borne like HIV and Hepatitis C. According to a recent all party parliamentary report, it is thought that more than 30,000 may have been infected following NHS blood treatment.
Only 6,000 have been identified and the report confirms that over 1,500 were infected with HIV between 1978 and 1985. Now the BBC has reported that three victims have launched claims for disability discrimination for their payments for Hepatitis C.
Sources from the BBC have confirmed that the three men who have launched the claims suffer from Hepatitis C as a result of the scandal and it is claimed that they are receiving far less than those who have contracted HIV. This is despite the fact that Hepatitis C is a lifelong chronic condition that can have a significant impact on a sufferer’s life and in some cases can lead to death.
The report confirms that it is thought that more than 2,000 have died as a result of the NHS blood scandal.
The men, who are claiming anonymously, say that by receiving less payment than those who have contracted HIV is disability discrimination. Sufferers can receive regular payments as a result of being affected by the scandal, but the payments for Hepatitis C sufferers are said to be far worse than those who receive payments for HIV.
The parliamentary report goes on to surmise that the Hepatitis C scheme came later than the HIV scheme and a lot of people have been “left in the dark” when it comes to the support available. They have also had difficulty in registering for help and there appears to be a lot of ‘red tape’ mixed up in the system and the report has described the issues as “the worst form of modern-day begging that I know of.”
Our lawyers, particularly our medical negligence lawyers, have dealt with cases for contamination where sufferers have been left with lifelong blood borne infections like HIV and Hepatitis. We’re currently leading the way in the fight for justice for the victims of the Daybrook Dental Surgery scandal and we’re representing victims of the Derby HIV scandal as well. In both scenarios people were put at risk of serious blood borne infections, and we are representing people who have contracted infections as well.
These sorts of scandals and claims are always complex and the victims need, and deserve, a higher level of care and attention. Hopefully the three men pursuing the claims will obtain the justice that they deserve.