Only a few days ago, the long-running inquiry into the infected blood scandal produced its report.
It’s shocking and horrifying.
The suffering of those affected has been appalling, and compounded by the fact that it has taken half a century for the truth to prevail!
- Between 1970 and 1998 more than 3,000 patients “died or suffered miserably” as a result of being given contaminated blood products that infected them with HIV and Hepatitis.
- Doctors, civil servants and ministers had “closed ranks” to hide the truth for decades.
- One of the most shocking episodes in the scandal happened at Lord Mayor Treloar School for children with disabilities in Alton, Hants, where many of the pupils were haemophiliacs. Children there were “betrayed” when they were used as “objects” of experimental trials. They were not always told they were part of a trial, then suffered a “nightmare of tragic proportion” after being given disease-ridden drugs, Sir Brian said.
It’s just so upsetting that so many people responsible will face little by way of meaningful punishment for their corruption, indifference, complacency. As with the revelations emerging from NHS whistleblowers & the Post Office Horizon scandal, Whitehall and other institutions act as though they are above the law.
Financial compensation will have to be given to the victims — but this burden falls to the taxpayers — whom these officials and corrupt doctors have also betrayed. Another insult.
I followed the testimony of Paula Vennells in court live on Sky News, this is an unimaginable affair, for some reason the contaminated blood affair is less covered.
ReplyDeleteHi Yael
DeleteI watched some of it too. She was either totally useless or still covering up.
So many cover-ups going on here!
Hope you're ok? :)
I'm fine, when I want some escapism I watch the news in England :)
ReplyDeleteHow many more huge scandals are waiting in the wings? Some people are untouchable. It's always the tax payers who have to mop up the mess.
ReplyDeleteI know. I bet there's more we don't know about.
DeleteTo this day, one has to keep away, as far as possible, from Health services.
ReplyDeleteJanice (jabblog) says it. We don't know what we don't know. I have seen this kind of thing on a much less serious but still upsetting scale in educational institutions. Those in power came to think they were untouchable and could get away with anything they wanted to further their careers and accumulate wealth and esteem. What I don't understand is that there must have been hundreds in administrative positions who knew about it, yet remained silent.
ReplyDeleteHello there. Yes, that's part of the scathing report. The sheer number of people who kept their head down and pretended nothing happened.
DeleteIt might be somehwat 'execusable' in education - but giving people blood infected with viruses. My god. I think that's close to wicked. !!
The Hippocratic Oath didn't seem to protect the patients from dangerous and incompetent health care. Or perhaps hospital staff feared they would be locked away for the rest of their lives if they gave evidence against the Medical Establishment.
ReplyDeleteI have seen a report on that Australia should follow suit of what happened in UK. Most hemophiliacs suffer Hep C and HIV living with discrimination
ReplyDeleteYes, that's another point roentare.
DeleteThe added hardships unfairly associated with HIV which is just an illness.
It's a disgrace and should never have happened. Money doesn't make the sufferers better; it only helps with their treatment.
ReplyDeleteIt's appalling how long it's taken for some sort of justice to prevail. What's especially appalling in all these scandals is the way the authorities systematically try to cover up their mistakes and pretend they've done nothing wrong.
ReplyDeleteShocking, horrifying, appalling ...
ReplyDeleteAs Jabblog commented above 'How many more huge scandals are waiting in the wings?'
All the best Jan