Caroline Dinenage MP has welcomed the Government’s decision to hold a full inquiry into the contaminated blood tragedy of the 1970s and 1980s.
The human cost and scale of this tragedy is vast, and saw thousands of NHS patients given blood products infected with Hepatitis C and HIV. At least 2,400 people are believed to have lost their lives as a result of receiving contaminated blood products.
To date, over £390 million has been given in financial support to victims and their families. Over 5,500 documents pertaining to blood safety of the period have been published on the Department of Health website and over 200 files are publicly available through the National Archives. However, the decision to hold a public inquiry recognises that more needs to be done. The Government will now work closely with victims and their families to determine the most appropriate form for the inquiry to take.
Commenting, Caroline said: ‘I am delighted that the Government has announced a full inquiry, which recognises the need to get to the bottom of this appalling injustice. For the last 7 years I have been campaigning in Parliament on behalf of a number of my constituents who have been personally affected by this tragedy, which has caused unthinkable suffering up and down the country. They have worked tirelessly to ensure that the full scale of this scandal is properly investigated, and I am glad that a full inquiry will now provide the answers they need.’