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Dying 'Penalty' Hits Infected Blood Scandal Families
7 Mar
Summary
- Families of victims criticize compensation scheme's 'penalty for dying'.
- Estates of those who died before the scheme lose hundreds of thousands.
- Charities call for equal valuation for all infected, regardless of death date.
Families affected by the infected blood scandal are protesting the government's compensation scheme, arguing it penalizes victims who died before its implementation. Payouts are calculated up to the date of death, resulting in estates losing potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds compared to living victims. Charities like the Haemophilia Society and Hepatitis C Trust have voiced strong opposition, stating this creates a 'penalty for dying' and fails to value lives equally.
The scheme awards financial loss payments to both living victims and estates of those deceased due to HIV or hepatitis infections from contaminated NHS blood products before 1996. However, for individuals who died years ago, their estates receive compensation based only on the period from infection to death, not future lost earnings. This disparity has been highlighted by families like Ami Jai Presly, whose father died in 1993, resulting in her father's estate receiving roughly half of what it would have if he were alive today.
Campaigners argue that this structure creates a significant disparity between survivors and those who have died, whose lives should be valued equally. A government spokesperson stated that the government is committed to listening and working with victims to ensure justice and is carefully considering responses to a recent consultation, with a response due within 12 weeks.
