Who is responsible?
Governments and politicians
The report castigated the historical government response to the emergence of the risks of treating people with contaminated blood and blood products.
In the 1980s, the government decided against any form of compensation to people infected with HIV, with Kenneth Clarke, who was health minister at the time, saying there would be no state scheme to compensate those suffering "the unavoidable adverse effects" of medical procedures.
The then-prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, rebuffed calls for compensation by asserting in 1989 that people infected with HIV from blood products "had been given the best treatment available on the then current medical advice". The repeated use of this mantra by ministers and officials over the next 20 years, including about people with other diseases, was wrong, Langstaff said.
Successive governments also came under fire in the report for their refusal to hold a public inquiry due to "inherent defensiveness", a reluctance to listen to the stories of ordinary people, and a fear of having to compensate victims.
Ministers' refusal to own up to failings "served to compound people's suffering," resulting in a decades-long battle for the truth.
Langstaff asked why it took until 2018 for a UK-wide public inquiry to be established. Viewed overall, ministers appeared to have lacked curiosity in the early period of the developing public health crisis.
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin May 21, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin May 21, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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