Contaminated Blood blunders compounded by Dept of Health's lack of compassion

The Telegraph reports that haemophiliacs who received blood in the 1970s and 1980s and were infected with hepatitis C, and some with HIV, are not going to receive the substantial compensation payments that were recommended by Lord Archer of Sandwell earlier this year.

This seems incredibly mean.

Not only have these already vulnerable people with a serious illness been given additional serious illness by way of the contaminated blood, but they have been having to waste their time - many years - and scant energies in fighting a complacent, uncaring 'system' that is so inappropriately named the Department of Health.

A little more about the haemophilia sufferers being given unsafe blood products.

Tests of clotting agent 'led to 2,000 deaths' - This is the Independent's take on the haemophilia sufferers being given unsafe blood products.

Extract:

"Some 2,000 haemophiliacs died after British doctors tested new blood products on them, having ignored safety warnings for the sake of "scientific kudos," it has been claimed."

Independent inquiry into the deaths of nearly 2,000 haemophilia patients after exposure to contaminated blood and blood products

Inquiry opens into blood contamination deaths - Guardian

Extracts:

"An independent inquiry began today into the deaths of nearly 2,000 haemophilia patients exposed to HIV and/or hepatitis C through contaminated blood and blood products, described as the worst treatment catastrophe in NHS history."

"The campaign on the patients' behalf has been led by Labour peer Lord Alf Morris, who was Britain's first minister for disabled people and is the president of the all-party parliamentary group on haemophilia.

He said that, of the 4,670 haemophiliac patients exposed to hepatitis C, 1,243 were also exposed to HIV and despite improvements in treatment for both viruses, only 2,552 patients with hepatitis C and just 361 with HIV are still alive."