Charity's Concern Over Contaminated Blood Compensation: A Call for Justice and Transparency
A proposed compensation payment for men infected with HIV and hepatitis as schoolchildren is deemed "wholly inadequate" by a charity, sparking calls for justice and transparency. During the 1970s and 1980s, the Lord Mayor Treloar School and College in Hampshire provided specialized care for children with haemophilia, but the treatments involved using contaminated blood products.
The Hepatitis C Trust has raised "profound concerns" about the payouts for those who underwent unethical research by NHS clinicians. The government has pledged to ensure justice is not only delivered but reflected in the compensation process. The Infected Blood Public Inquiry's report, published in May 2024, revealed that children with bleeding disorders were treated as "objects for research".
In response, the government has offered a one-off £15,000 payment in addition to ongoing support, with a £10,000 award available for similar cases. However, the charity, along with other members of the infected blood community, has called for a "fully and transparently reviewed" award. Gary Webster, who was infected with HIV and Hepatitis C during his time at Treloar's, criticized the proposed offer of £25,000 as insufficient, questioning how one can compensate someone who has been experimented on and, in many cases, killed.
The delay in the inquiry's findings and the ongoing review by the National Police Chiefs' Council have further compounded the injustice, according to the charity. The community is urging for a clear timeline or decisions on criminal accountability. A government spokesperson emphasized the profound suffering endured by those subjected to unethical research, reiterating the commitment to justice and transparency in compensation.
The government has invited the community to provide feedback on the consultation before January 22, seeking input on how to design and calculate the award to reflect the unethical research practices. As of now, over £2 billion has been paid in compensation to victims across the UK affected by the infected blood scandal.
