Leicestershire man given infected blood 'sceptical' of government support scheme

A man from Leicestershire who was given infected blood has said he's still "sceptical" of the government's plan to compensate victims.

It comes as the government said victims of the infected blood scandal will receive financial support for life from the end of this year.

Suresh Vaghela was 20 when he was told he had HIV during a phone call in 1983.

He was a haemophiliac and had been given infected blood.

He said: "The government have promised so many things in the past and never actually delivered.

"The words have been hollow in the past so we think they're hollow now.

"The government keep saying it's going to be life-changing amounts of money but it isn't.

"It'll be life-assisting because it'll help us but life-changing is what they gave us.

"[Infected blood] changed our lives; we couldn't be who we were or lead the lives we were living.

"Until they show action I'm a bit sceptical."

His brother Praful died in 1995 from AIDS. In the year that followed Suresh went to 70 funerals as many of his friends were infected with contaminated blood.

Suresh, who grew up in Coventry, was told by his doctor to go home, tell his family and get his paperwork in order as he only had two or three months to live.

He said he was given no information or support, and was told not to tell anyone about his diagnosis.

In 2005, Suresh found out he was one of more than 800 people who had also been infected with Variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD), an incurable brain disease.

More than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with diseases linked to contaminated blood they received during the 1970s and 1980s.

The government's announcement comes months after a seven-year public inquiry published its final report into what it called the "biggest treatment disaster in NHS history."

Victims who were used for research without their knowledge will be eligible for an extra £10,000.

Some will also be given an increased "social impact" award which recognises the stigma and isolation victims have suffered.

Infected people will start receiving payments through the new framework by the end of the year.

Paymaster General and minister for the Cabinet Office Nick Thomas-Symonds said: “This is an important milestone for victims and campaigners who have waited far too long for justice.

“The Government has listened to the recommendations from Sir Robert Francis KC, heard the strong calls for change from the community and acted.

“We are going to do everything possible to deliver compensation quickly, and in many cases deliver life-changing sums to people infected and affected by this scandal.

“We know no amount of compensation can fully address the damage to people who suffered as a result of this scandal. This is why alongside the compensation, we must drive forward the wider cultural changes to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”

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