….Gvt and NHS under fire,deliberately covered up scandal and knowingly exposed patients
…Over 3000 said to have died…more than 30 000 infected
By Kwedu News
Monday 20 May was truly a day of shame in the UK medical history as the nation woke up to the news that findings had unearthed information that the gvt and the NHS had knowingly exposed thousands of patients to contaminated blood and even covered up the scandal in a period stretching into decades.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak issued an apology following an investigation exposure of HIV and hepatitis infected blood transmission scandal that has devastated thousands of lives over decades.
He said:
“This is a day of shame for the British state. Today’s report shows a decades-long moral failure at the heart of our national life – from the National Health Service to the civil service to ministers in successive governments at every level – that people and institutions in which we place our trust failed in the most harrowing and devastating way.”
Sunak added: “This is an apology from the state – to every single person impacted by this scandal. It did not have to be this way; it should never have been this way. And on behalf of this and every government stretching back to the 1970s, I am truly sorry.”
The investigation took about five-years and exposed a cover-up by authorities, who knowingly exposed victims to unacceptable risks, dubbed the ‘The Infected Blood Inquiry’, which accused doctors, the National Health Services, and government of failing patients repeatedly.
The investigation reveals that as a result, over 3000 people have died and 30 000 more infected.
The government has accepted the moral case for compensation, with interim payouts of about £100,000 each already made to around 4,000 survivors and bereaved partners.
The total cost is expected to run into billions.
Inquiry chair, Sir Brian Langstaff, described the scale of the scandal as ‘horrifying’ and said authorities were too slow to respond to risks.
He accused doctors, the NHS, and government of ‘hiding the truth’ and not prioritizing patient safety.
An article written by Nick Triggle and Jim Reed on BBC states that the scandal has destroyed ‘lives, dreams, friendships, families, and finances,’ with numbers still climbing weekly.
Two main groups affected include people with haemophilia and those who received contaminated blood transfusions.
Investigations show that since 1948 the NHS knew of the viral infections in blood and blood products and in the 1970s a new treatment was developed for haemophilia, using donated human blood plasma.
Between 1970-1991 over 30,000 people are said were infected with HIV and hepatitis through contaminated blood products and transfusions.
Between 1982 and 1986 risks of HIV transmission were officially discovered with heat-treatment of blood products to try and get rid of infections delayed until 1985, and in 1986 sourcing of blood donations from high-risk populations in the UK were stopped.
Only between 2022 and 2023 interim reports were published exposing the cover ups and recommending compensation for victims and families affected.
Kwedu News
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