FACTOR 8 have responded to the statement to the House of Commons on Infected Blood Compensation including people of Worcester.
Living infected victims will receive further interim payments of £210,000.
Amendments to the Victims and Prisoners Bill were made on the same day a petition, signed by those in Worcester who claim to have been impacted by the scandal, was presented calling for adequate cash to be delivered to victims ‘as soon as possible.’
The Infected Blood Inquiry was set up in 2017 to investigate the circumstances which led to thousands of UK patients contracting HIV, hepatitis viruses, or both, from contaminated blood or blood products.
The Hepatitis C Trust claimed more than 30,000 people in the UK were given treatments infected with HIV and Hepatitis C and over 3,000 people died.
Andrew Evans from Worcester, who signed the petition presented to Parliament, said he was infected with HIV and Hepatitis C as a small child through his haemophilia treatment.
Andrew, who went on to become the co-founder of the Worcester-based TaintedBlood campaign group, told the Observer the government has had to be dragged, ‘kicking and screaming’, to make any progress on assisting victims of this scandal.
The report stated interim compensation payments of £100,000 should be extended to bereaved parents and children.
Mr Walker, whose petition called for all 18 of these recommendations to be implemented ‘without delay’, said he wanted to make sure the Government delivered on its promise to properly compensate victims.
Jason Evans (Director of Factor 8) said: “We welcome the news today that Sir Robert Francis KC has been appointed as the interim chair of the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme and that living infected victims will receive further interim payments of £210k.
“However, we are deeply confused as to why there has been total silence on when and how interim payments will be made to the estates of those who have died.
“Most bereaved families have yet to receive any compensation and have received no timescale today on interim payments.
“The government has confirmed that for those who die between now and when the further £210k interim payment is paid to those infected still living, the payment will be made to their estates.”
