Perthshire infected blood victim's cautious welcome for compensation scheme timetable

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Perthshire victim of the infected blood scandal has cautiously welcomed a UK Government announcement that the first compensation payouts will commence at the end of the year.It follows May’s Langstaff report on the Infected Blood Inquiry which concluded that the infection of 30,000 people with HIV and hepatitis between 1970 and 1991 could have been largely avoided.More than 3000 people have died and many continue to suffer after they were treated with contaminated blood products between the 1970s and 1990s.Sir Brian Langstaff said “this disaster was not an accident” and criticised the NHS and successive governments for “refusing to accept that wrong had been done”.Those infected -and the estates of those who have passed away – are to start receiving payments through the new framework by the end of this year.

Payments for others will begin in 2025.Haemophiliac Bill Wright (65), of Birnam, who pushed for justice for decades, welcomed the announcement, but said much has still to be done.Bill contracted hepatitis C shortly after being treated in 1986.

Decades later he developed liver cancer.He said: “I think there would appear to be progress now.“Broadly it is to be welcomed.

Our experience of this however has been ups and downs. The ups are often followed by downs.“By and large what is proposed will be met positively by those infected.“There is still much to be done for families who have lost loved ones, the estates of those who died, and indeed the carers of those infected who are still alive.“The larger question is how they are going to meet the deadline.