Published 22 May 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b2108
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b2108

News

UK government doubles payments to haemophilia patients infected with HIV from contaminated blood but makes no increase for hepatitis C

Clare Dyer

1 BMJ

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

UK citizens with haemophilia who were infected with HIV from contaminated blood are to have their annual payments from the UK government doubled, but patients infected with hepatitis C will get nothing extra.

The health minister Dawn Primarolo announced that government funding for two trusts, which make discretionary payments to people infected with HIV from contaminated blood, would be increased to allow payments of £12 800 ({euro}14 700; $20 200) a year each. Current payments are about £6400.

But the Skipton Fund, which dispenses money to people infected with hepatitis C, will get no further cash, although the government pledged to review the situation in 2014.

The government’s response to the report of the independent Archer inquiry into the blood scandal, which called for substantial increases in compensation, was "a faltering step that only compounds the anguish of the afflicted and bereaved," the inquiry team said.

About 4670 people . . . [Full text of this article]


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