OfPaola De Carolis
Published, after 7 years of work, the investigation which specifies the colossal dimensions of the scandal of infected blood used in the 70s, 80s and 90s in Great Britain for transfusions and medical procedures: “It was not an accident”
LONDON – «A calamity that could and should have been avoided».
Seven years of investigation, a 2500 page report, and finally the total and absolute condemnation of the authorities, from governments to medical directors of various institutions. It’s the day of truth for the 30,000 victims of what is defined the most serious scandal in the history of British public healthL’use – in the 70s, 80s and early 90s – of infected blood for transfusions and medical procedures. A practice that has caused so far more than 3,000 deathsamong which many kidsand caused suffering and devastation in tens of thousands of families.
The findings of the report Sir Brian LangstaffHigh Court judge who headed the inquiry, point out that “It wasn’t an accident”: Various governments have “hidden the truth” and given victims incorrect information, such as that “they had received the best care available at the time.” «More than 30,000 people have been infected, more than 3,000 have died: a total destined to grow because every week there are more deaths”Sir Brian specified.
In front of the Methodist Hall in Westminster, where there will be a ceremony in honor of the victims in the afternoon, thousands of people gathered today wearing a red t-shirt with the writing «infected blood» to accept a verdict of overwhelming guilt against institutions which, «despite knowing of the problem, refused to accept their responsibilities even going so far, faced with the possibility of legal action against them, as to destroy key documents,” according to Sir Brian.
For Kate Burt, chief executive of the Haemophilia Society, the report and its publication are proof that «for years the government has refused to accept the pain and suffering of those involved in this scandal and to recognize the enormity of the its failure. Too many people died believing that no prime minister would ever acknowledge responsibility for what happened. A deeply damaged and wounded community has been marginalized and ignored by the institutions created to defend their rights.”
In 2022, the president of the inquiry underlined with an interim report that he had detected “individual, collective and systemic failures” and recommended that parents and minors who had lost a loved one be immediately distributed 100,000 pounds each, approximately 117,000 euros, “to alleviate the immediate difficulties” waiting for more important compensation. Yet, so far, despite Sir Brian’s recommendations, “a plan for adequate compensation” has not been created.
For Treasury Minister Jeremy Hunt, who was in the past Minister for Health, it is “the worst case ever faced” in his life: “Every politician – he said – should be ashamed that it took so long to accept the facts”.
Facts whose genesis dates back to about half a century ago when, faced with the shortage of blood products, plasma was imported from the USA without subjecting it to the necessary tests, a practice that was repeated until the beginning of the nineties despite the alarm raised by the World Health Organization, and which transmitted hepatitis C and HIV to already vulnerable patients. A public apology from the government is expected in the afternoon, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaking in parliament.
May 20, 2024 (modified May 20, 2024 | 2:29 pm)
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