Furious victims infected blood block They said just ten of the 4,000 people had received benefits under the new scheme, despite a pledge by the Conservatives and Labor to post payments this year.
The senders say they are “empty” a of labor the government and this month, as 17 people out of thousands of eligible people were invited to register for satisfaction.
Five groups representing victims met with official officials to discuss the petitions last week, only for the meeting to end with those present feeling like they were being treated as a nuisance rather than victims of the scandal they had so deeply suffered from.
About 3,000 people died as a result of contaminated blood in commercial hemophilia products and blood transfusions in the 1970s and 1980s. Condemnation investigation report by Brian Langstaff published last May, found the scandal could have been largely avoided. There have been various victim compensation schemes in the past, but Langstaff decided to establish a more comprehensive scheme with major payouts immediately.
Andrew Evans, chairman of the blood sanies group, who at the age of 12 said he had contracted HIV from mixed blood, said: “When the infected blood problem made its final report, the whole community breathed a collective sigh of relief. … We dared to hope, for a moment It is time that our decades of battles have come to an end, and that compensation will soon come.
“With the promise of paying all those infected before the end of 2024, the estates of those who died and were affected in their own right, their relatives, the military and the community hoped that the goal would appear, followed quickly by 2025. the remainder would be formalities.
“Since then we have been disbanded by the government, and the proposals have been cleverly moved to the point where now, already before Christmas, only a quarter of one percent of the infected has been compensated.
“Our fight is aimed at more than ceasing. The community, already seriously wounded, has broken the point. We, the militia, are trying to explain what is going on, although we know little about ourselves, and we support thousands of victims of looting.
Evans added: “People are still dying twice a week from their infections.” The lack of progress “has real-world implications,” he said. “By the end of March 2025, the projection is that 250 people will be granted compensation. From the report of the investigation until now, it is estimated that another 80 people have perished without ever getting justice.
“Not only are the dying infected, but from the remoteness of time until now, the parents, siblings and partners of the infected are aging and dying. We are completely left to wonder what needs to be done to get the government to act quickly and responsibly. We are exhausted after 40 plus years of fighting.
Chair of the entire parliamentary group on the scandal, Labor MP Clive Efford said he was stunned by last week’s meetings. “The people were treated like children: one person could speak per organization, for a maximum of four minutes. It was liked that the elections were gesticulated and they only came to make people more angry.”
Post Newsletter promotion
Effordia added: “This is the first test of ministers and civil servants who behave with the duty of simplicity towards the victims of public injustices. When Sir Brian Langstaff’s final report was published, the soldiers thought that they had won the war in the state, but now feel that the state has been let down and ignored the report.
“Sir Brian also suggested that organizations that supported victims through the investigation should be given resources to help them make restitution, and there are no signs of that happening. In the meantime, these organizations are under pressure and asking for help.
Kevin Roberts, 52, of Hayle, CornwallHe is one of the victims of the scandal, who gave evidence to the investigation and fear that he would never be satisfied. A battle began to obtain historical medical records showing how the child became infected. “I was infected with hepatitis A, B and C and I didn’t get a single penny back,” he said. “The money will trickle down to us as slowly as we think. I did not mention the petitioner. I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. “
The director general and cabinet minister, Nick Thomas-Symonds, said: “The Prime Minister and I have always been determined to stand up for the victims of infected blood after a decade of injustice, and to go further than anyone else. have control at We raise the compensation authority of infected blood. The budget allocated to victims is £11.8bn, and final payments are now due.
Of interim payments of infected and deceased infected estates. We will do everything we can to deliver justice for the victims as quickly as possible.”