three former health secretaries joined the Government to immediately compensate victims of the contaminated blood scandal and their next of kin.
Andy Burnham, Jeremy Hunt and Matt Hancock have stressed that as many victims’ life expectancies have been drastically reduced, their recommended payouts of £100,000 should be processed as soon as possible.
An estimated 2,400 people died after being infected with hiv and hepatitis C from contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s in what has been labeled the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS.
There are also 2,007 core study participants who are infected or affected, and research is underway to estimate the total number of survivors.
Labor’s Mr Burnham highlighted how the criteria set out by the government for eligibility for compensation means that next of kin who were not romantic partners of victims are disregarded.
The mayor of Greater Manchester, who served as health minister from 2009 to 2010, also said government officials even lied to ministers about the contaminated products – adding that there “may be a case for corporate death”.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he said: “The government has not been honest about this matter due to fears of financial exposure.
“For decades the line has been that nothing was done wrong, that they did everything they could, and it’s just not true, the risks were known and people got the products anyway.
“I would even go so far as to say that there could be a corporate manslaughter case here.”
“The really terrible statistic is that about every four days someone who is infected dies,” he added.
He appealed to Boris Johnson, saying: “Please Prime Minister, do this today, say you will do it today, no one will disagree, every MP will support it, people have waited far, far too long.”
Mr Hunt, who was health minister from 2012 to 2018, and Mr Hancock, who held the post from 2018 to 2021, both said they believed the government should make the payments as soon as possible.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Hunt said he wanted “to urge ministers to recognize that time is of the essence” and that waiting for the leadership contest to end would be too late for many victims.
Successive governments, of which I was a part, have not acted as quickly as they should have and we must recognize this as a terrible, terrible injustice,” he said.
Speaking of the same programme, Mr Hancock said: “My view is that when a government sets up an investigation like this, which we have rightly done, it is a moral duty of the state, of the government, to pay compensation. ”
Research Chair Sir Brian Langstaff advised making the payments midway through the investigation in light of the “deep physical and mental suffering” caused by the scandal.
Des Collins, a lawyer representing families, said those eligible must be paid within 14 days and he would increase pressure on the government to do so on Monday.
The Cabinet Office said on Saturday it will respond “with the utmost urgency” to recommendations for compensation and a copy of the inquiry report will be presented to MPs “as soon as Parliament meets again” – in September.
A spokesman said: “The government is grateful to Sir Brian Langstaff for his interim report on interim compensation for victims of contaminated blood.
“We recognize how important this will be for people infected and affected across the UK and can confirm that the Government will consider Sir Brian’s report and Sir Robert Francis QC’s recommendations with the utmost urgency and will act as soon as possible. react.
“A copy of the report will be deposited in the House as soon as Parliament reconvenes.”