Infected blood compensation scheme ‘not ready to help NI victims’

A man who contracted hepatitis through an infected blood transfusion has said Northern Ireland’s compensation scheme is “nowhere near ready” to help victims.

Nigel Hamilton was among 30,000 people across the UK who were infected with deadly viruses as a result of the contaminated blood scandal.

The victims could each receive payments of about £2m under a compensation scheme announced by the government in Westminster.

But speaking to Stormont’s Health Committee, Mr Hamilton said there were too many barriers in a compensation system that is “complex enough”.

He also said that while the public inquiry is over, when it comes to compensation and psychological support, things have only just begun.

Now 63 years old, he was just 16 when he received a blood transfusion for an eye operation in 1976.

His twin brother Simon, who died on Christmas Day last year, had also contracted the disease through blood transfusions.

The UK infected blood inquiry began in 2017 and published its final report in London last week.

It found that the infection of 30,000 people with HIV and hepatitis between 1970 and 1991 could have been largely avoided.

Mr Hamilton said the public inquiry was a “powerful and traumatic” experience for everyone involved.

He added that it is critical that the inquiry’s recommendations are not only implemented but also scrutinised by a local oversight group.