Current:Home > NewsUK prime minister urged to speed up compensation for infected blood scandal victims-LoTradeCoin
UK prime minister urged to speed up compensation for infected blood scandal victims
View Date:2024-12-23 15:28:33
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Wednesday he was committed to paying out compensation swiftly to thousands of people affected by the country’s infected blood scandal, which saw more than 2,000 patients die after contracting HIV or hepatitis from transfusions of tainted blood in the 1970s and 1980s.
But Sunak, who was testifying before an independent inquiry into the public healthcare scandal, was heckled by survivors and affected families when he did not give a clear answer on when full payments will be paid out.
The Infected Blood Inquiry was established in 2017 to examine how thousands of patients in the UK were infected with HIV or Hepatitis C through contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s.
Other news After decades of delays and broken promises, coal miners hail rule to slow rise of black lung A half-century ago, top U.S. health experts urged the federal agency in charge of mine safety to adopt strict rules protecting miners from poisonous rock dust. Judge orders Montana health clinic to pay nearly $6 million over false asbestos claims A judge has ruled that a health clinic in a Montana town plagued by deadly asbestos contamination must pay the government almost $6 million in penalties and damages after submitting hundreds of false asbestos claims. Low levels of radioactive tritium may be near the Mississippi River after an energy company’s leak Groundwater containing low levels of radioactive material may have reached the edge of the Mississippi River. In a nod to Oppenheimer’s legacy, US officials vow to prioritize cleanup at nuclear lab Independent federal investigators say the price tag for cleaning up waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory is rising and federal officials need to do more to track costs and progress of the $7 billion effort.An estimated 2,400 to 2,900 people died in what is widely described as the worst treatment disaster in the history of Britain’s state-funded National Health Service.
The contaminated blood was linked to supplies of a clotting agent called Factor VIII, which British health services bought from the U.S. Some of the plasma used to make the blood products was traced to high-risk donors, including prison inmates, who were paid to give blood samples.
Hundreds of survivors and affected families — some of whom have worked for decades to lobby for government compensation — packed into a London hotel conference room Wednesday as Sunak gave evidence to the inquiry.
Sunak acknowledged that victims of what he called an “appalling scandal” had been let down by successive governments over the years.
“This is an appalling scandal that has gone on for decades,” Sunak told the inquiry. “This is not just about historic wrongs. People are suffering and being impacted today.”
“Over a succession of not just years, but decades, justice has been denied to people. They haven’t received the recognition that they need and deserve,” he added.
The government said last year that survivors and bereaved partners of those who died will receive 100,000 pounds ($129,000) in compensation.
The inquiry’s chairman, retired judge Brian Langstaff, recommended in April that compensation should be expanded to include more people whose lives were blighted by the scandal, such as parents who lost their children.
Sunak reiterated that authorities will wait for the inquiry’s full report to be concluded before considering whether to extend the compensation plan for victims. The final report is expected later this year.
Clive Smith, chairman of the Haemophilia Society, said delays in the compensation have “only compounded the suffering of those who have been waiting for this for so long”.
“People who have waited 40 years expect to see a significant demonstration of political will and a commitment to get this done as soon as is practical,” Smith said.
veryGood! (5815)
Related
- When do new 'Yellowstone' episodes come out? Here's the Season 5, Part 2 episode schedule
- St. Louis schools, struggling to get kids to classes, suspend bus vendor
- The movement to legalize psychedelics comes with high hopes, and even higher costs
- NFL Week 6 overreactions: Jets playoff bound with Davante Adams, Lions' title hopes over
- Texas mother sentenced to 50 years for leaving kids in dire conditions as son’s body decomposed
- How long is Aidan Hutchinson out? Updated injury timeline for Lions DE
- Lowriding is more than just cars. It’s about family and culture for US Latinos
- Who am I? A South Korean adoptee finds answers about the past — just not the ones she wants
- Atlanta man dies in shootout after police chase that also kills police dog
- Mets hang on to beat Dodgers after early Game 2 outburst, tie NLCS: Highlights
Ranking
- Beyoncé's Grammy nominations in country categories aren't the first to blur genre lines
- Prosecutor drops an assault charge against a Vermont sheriff after two mistrials
- Ozzy Osbourne Makes Rare Public Appearance Amid Parkinson's Battle
- NFL power rankings Week 7: Where do Jets land after loss to Bills, Davante Adams trade?
- Harriet Tubman posthumously named a general in Veterans Day ceremony
- Cowboys' Jerry Jones gets testy in fiery radio interview: 'That's not your job'
- Khloe Kardashian Has the Ultimate Clapback for Online Bullies
- Farm recalls enoki mushrooms sold nationwide due to possible listeria contamination
Recommendation
-
Judith Jamison, acclaimed Alvin Ailey American dancer and director, dead at 81
-
Prosecutor drops an assault charge against a Vermont sheriff after two mistrials
-
Review: 'NCIS: Origins' prequel is good enough for Gibbs
-
Why Kelsea Ballerini Doesn't Watch Boyfriend Chase Stokes' Show Outer Banks
-
Jeep slashes 2025 Grand Cherokee prices
-
Farm recalls enoki mushrooms sold nationwide due to possible listeria contamination
-
People spend $20,000 at this resort to uncover secrets about their health. Is it worth it?
-
Yankees ride sluggers and wild pitches to ALCS Game 1 win vs. Guardians: Highlights