Donald Dewar feared paying compensation to individuals contaminated by contaminated blood would lead to an “open cheque e-book”. Scotland’s inaugural First Minister was frightened an enormous quantity of claimants would lead to critical monetary points.
The UK Contaminated Blood Inquiry was informed his considerations appeared in an e-mail despatched in September 1999. Round 3,000 individuals in Scotland contracted Hepatitis C and HIV within the Nineteen Seventies and Nineteen Eighties by way of blood merchandise used to deal with situations like haemophilia.
Those that survived didn't get monetary assist till 2004. An inquiry into the scandal was arrange in 2017 to look at what has been dubbed the worst therapy catastrophe in NHS historical past.
Those that survived had been left with lifelong well being points. They've supplied proof to the probe chaired by former QC Sir Brian Langstaff.
The Haemophilia Society believes infections might have been prevented and that the Scottish Nationwide Blood Transfusion Service was negligent in not utilizing safer blood merchandise between 1985 and 1987. Dewar confronted calls for to offer compensation to victims.
The inquiry yesterday heard ministers didn't need to pay survivors because the NHS had not been discovered negligent or at fault.
The e-mail despatched on behalf of Dewar on September 23, 1999, mentioned he was “a bit of involved concerning the doable monetary implications and fears that an open thoughts might be taken to imply an open cheque e-book”.
A word added that the-then well being minister Susan Deacon’s workplace “advises that that is very a lot a PR train and there's unlikely to be any compensation paid”.
Deacon is because of give proof to the inquiry on Friday.
Do not miss the newest information from round Scotland and past - Signal as much as our every day publication right here.