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Thousands of patients received blood infected with HIV and hepatitis in the 1970s and 1980s in what has been called « the biggest therapeutic disaster in NHS history »
Activist Jason Evans reviews the evidence in powerful ITV documentary tonight, In Cold Blood
Since then, through access to information requests, he has gathered a mountain of evidence from government authorities, ministers and experts
The government has twice paid compensation to hemophiliacs and affected families, in parallel with the unfinished investigation into infected blood, which starts collecting evidence again this week
But activists still want further action against authorities, claiming « one victim [of infected blood factor VIII] dies every four days »
Jason points to a huge scandal which he says has been largely ignored – despite the deaths of 1,500 people from HIV and hepatitis C He said: « I think when you look at this in terms of numbers, thousands infected, well over 1500 dead when you compare it to all the other national catastrophes – Hillsborough, the Birmingham bombings, Grenfell – the scandal that happened with the factor concentrates [infected blood] them eclipses all combined Yet he never had this recognition
« This scandal has been in my life since day one It will never take me away
The story goes back to the 1970s, when it was discovered that factor VIII, a plasma blood product, could help people with hemophilia
Demand exceeded supply, so the NHS decided to import huge amounts of blood from the United States
The film claims it came from poor areas where people were paid to donate blood
When HIV first became known in 1983, people with hemophilia continued to use blood products imported from the United States
But then Health Secretary Kenneth Clarke told the House of Commons at the time: « There is no conclusive evidence that AIDS is transmitted through blood products »
Jason tries to prove from his documents that government officials and the NHS knew the blood was infected
He adds: « I was informed by the Ministry of Health I had no reason to reject this advice
« Looking back 20/20, it is now possible to be certain that many of these cases were caused by the use of infected factor VIII imported from the United States »
Nadine Dorries, Minister of Patient Care Safety, told the filmmaker: « This tragedy of infected blood should never have happened, and the ongoing public inquiry has been put in place to establish the truth and provide individuals and families with the response they deserve «
The documentary also shows for the first time receipts for the destruction of files relating to the alleged concealment
Jason claims to have obtained proof that key files of the Department’s Advisory Committee on Virological Safety of Blood were destroyed at key points in the case
He said: « The destruction of the documents was done in waves, over a period of five years, from 1993 to 1998 and these waves of destruction seem to come at key times »
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UK National Health Service, UK tainted blood scandal, HIV / AIDS, hemophilia, cover-up, infected blood scandal
News from the world – UK – New documentary to reveal NHS blood scandal ‘was a huge cover-up’
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
