During today’s Infected Blood Inquiry, two significant moments stood out in which the audience jeered at Prime Minister Rishi Sunak while he was giving evidence.
The first instance was when Sunak hesitated to address the lack of plans for compensating the 30,000 individuals and their families whose lives have been devastated by tainted blood, including mine. The second moment occurred when the Prime Minister insisted that the government’s efforts to address this issue were progressing swiftly.
Even after 37 years since I was informed, as a young teenager, about my HIV infection due to contaminated blood products from the NHS, it remains incredibly frustrating to witness yet another Prime Minister proclaiming that we are a priority and that what happened to us was an “appalling scandal”, while simultaneously failing to make any substantial progress.
As Sunak acknowledged, someone affected by this tragedy dies every four days.
The Prime Minister came face to face with protesters and campaigners this afternoon at the inquiry into what happened, and what recompense they should receive. Pictured: Rishi Sunak giving evidence to the Infected Blood Inquiry
Demonstrators hold placards picturing victims and reading message related to the NHS infected blood scandal as Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is questioned by Inflected Blood inquiry, in London, on July 26, 2023
The longer the government delays making a decision on compensation—despite acknowledging the moral case for it—the fewer individuals and families will find justice in their lifetime, further exacerbating their suffering.
Once again, Sunak failed to provide any answers, although the official silence does not come as a surprise to us.
In 1986, at the age of 17, I discovered that I had been infected with HIV three years earlier. A doctor at North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary delivered the devastating news to my mother and me without any sensitivity. I was told that my life expectancy was only two years.
I later learned that the blood clotting agent I had been injected with, Factor VIII, was contaminated with the virus, but the doctors at Birmingham Children’s Hospital failed to disclose this information.
Another cousin, who was also infected with HIV from contaminated blood, died at the age of 34 from AIDS. During his funeral, I felt as though everyone was wondering if I would be the next to succumb.
In the 1980s, I faced discrimination from medical professionals and lost my job due to colleagues discovering my HIV status. Relationships became impossible for me.
Liz Gardner (left) and Meg Parsons holding pictures of their brother Robert Gibbs outside the Infected Blood Inquiry in London. Mr Gibbs died aged 21 after finding out he was HIV positive aged 15
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