Grenfell Tower vs. Contaminated Blood
20th June 2018
Haemophiliacs’ PIP cases mistreated: DWP UK-wide review of claimants with haemarthropathy
21st June 2018Here we post another Forum entry from an SIBF member. The sentiments conveyed do not necessarily represent the Forum’s Trustees, staff or members’ views as a whole but are included to promote debate, discussion and engagement with current affairs which may have a bearing on future actions.
“The Clinical Review Group’s work will soon be drawing to an end. At some point thereafter the Scottish Government (no doubt on the advice of civil servant policy officers and finance types) will come back with a response that will largely determine the support which state-infected people and their families will get. This may well determine the financial security – or otherwise – of infected/affected people for the rest of their lives. In turn this will largely determine the associated quality of life of patient-victims, similarly for the rest of our lives. So what do we think is a ‘fair and full’ level of support that adequately addresses all those years (past and future) of pain, loss, missed opportunities and health detriments?
As a discussion starter, here is my set of expectations to satisfy the ‘moral responsibility’ of Government to help people whose lives have been irreversibly damaged by the State:
– full equality of support for infected people (ie. the removal of the bogus Stage 1/Stage 2 distinction since the overlap in detriments is so great as to make the separation mostly meaningless and any attempt to assess differentiation inherently unfair)
– (this includes, specifically) annual payments to all infected people at the level of the Scottish annual mean wage (more correctly known as median gross full-time salary)
– (this also includes) doing away with the Stage 1/Stage 2 distinction as it applies to widows/widowers so that all widows/widowers are treated the same (ie. regular payments at 75% of the amounts paid to living infected people, after an initial year’s payment at 100%)
– tying the annual payments to any changes in the annual Scottish median wage (including the potential for inflationary falls as well as rises)
– making provision for access to insurance and other financial products/services that is backed by the state so that a more ‘level playing-field’ is achieved
– making ensured provision for the best available treatments and interventions across the range of health and social care provision (including anti-viral treatments, psychological support, etc.)
– on-going grant-aided support for patient representative groups to allow a collective voice that continues to help people on a peer-led basis and holds public bodies to account
– recognising that budget decision for the current year may be problematic to overcome, therefore accepting an interim arrangement of no less than 75% annual payments for former Stage 1 Scheme members that will build towards the full (undistinguished) level of payments within two financial years
– enshrining these support measures in statute to protect against a change of approach under a different political agenda.So, what do others think? What is the minimum you will accept?”
3 Comments
We should aim for at least the Southern Irish levels of compensation plus a living increase allowance, or all of our present SIBSS payments should be back dated to the date of infection.. .. (And yes, I know the nay sayers will moan on about how we will never get anything approaching levels like that)
Even that is far too little, considering the increasing joint pain, terrible cramps, serious mobility problems because of peripheral neuropathy, subcutaneous cysts, liver pain, ongoing kidney infections, sciatica, heart problems, loss of thyroid gland and arrhythmia, (and other ailments and illnesses) that I experience 24 hours of every day. My personal symptoms and illnesses were caused by this terrible disease as well as by interferon and ribavirin.. A double whammy with nothing but a lifetime of suffering and insult at the end of it.
The above of course, says nothing about my loss of salary since 1980, when I had to give up work. (I was infected in 1974) and instead of being able to live on a sensible wage since then, I had to “support” myself and my wife on £56.00 per week. (Incapacity benefit) because my wife has been unable to make insurance contributions, as she has been my carer for the last 30 odd years.
Robison of course, will smile, commiserate with a few of us, and then cut any hard argued compensation to the bone..
Strange that someone trained in Comm. Ed. can do such a quick about face and become a gatekeeper, who begrudges and withholds widows and widowers bereaved by this terrible tragedy, a LIFE payment which is equal to HALF her ANNUAL salary (plus expenses) But why should I be surprised?
Of course, she can justify her shameful actions to herself, and then to the rest of the seedy and vastly overpaid Scottish Exchequer, who have always moaned on about how much compensation we were getting in dribs and drabs, and then always recommended less in any “interim settlement”. Jobs for the boys..
This whole appalling circumstance has been an obscene scandal since day one, with cover ups, short changing of victims before and after Chisholm, outright crime, widespread breaching of medical ethics, labeling and slandering of victims, purposely destroying medical records, using some of we victims as medical guinea pigs. and covering up the guilty, (why have the Clintons not been asked to explain under oath, (not that they tell any truths anyway) their parts in their contaminated prison blood scams which have infected (and killed) very many thousands in Europe alone.
Why should they not be made to pay a few dollars to we surviving victims and our bereaved? Of course not, pigs would fly first..
We await the farcical Goldberg Variations with bated breath, as we did previously, the ridiculous Penrose fiasco.
Which of all the fatal diseases we victims are the beneficiaries of, will he concentrate on this time? He can save a few quid, as well as maybe convene and maybe turn up to two meetings (in as many years ) this time.. Also, he could waste even more years while we all pop our clogs, whilst still drawing a handsome salary and of course expenses….
Will it be Nephritis? Coronary Infarction? Intracerebral Hemorrhage? (it wont be cirrhosis anyway this time, because hes already played that one to death, and for as long as he can.).
We are all, as HCV victims susceptible to all of the above fatal diseases (and others) at a higher incidence than the average punter, courtesy of the wonderful and benevolent NHS..
However, recognising all of the above HCV caused diseases (and more) would of course, be a step too far.. (lets thin it down a bit and spin it out as long as possible) They wont notice..
And now, as then, the Old Boys Club Rules.. and we victims sit here gobsmacked and in unending pain (and in many cases severely and terminally depressed) , waiting to see where the axe will fall. (Because fall it will, and cuts will be made)
Barristers, Q.Cs. Lords, etc. (not to mention the many paralegals slaving away below stairs) will all benefit handsomely as the legal merry go round sets off for pastures unknown, yet again… ( as it has done fairly regularly for the last 30 years.) This criminal HCV farce has gone on for decades now, (but why change a winning formula?)
Oh… And another thing., while Im at it.. . (If ye dinnae mind)
Why is Robison unwilling to allow “stage uno” HCV widows and widowers a LIFE compensation lump sum payment which only amounts to HALF of her ANNUAL salary? It doesnt matter what the victims died of, Hep C related or not, it doesnt matter, but you can only get compensated if cirrhosis was involved..
Who knows where this appalling and discriminatory behaviour has its roots?? Not in Comm. Ed. certainly, although Robison did train in that field.
Och weel.. Ye cannae expect the recipients o power, given to them by the electorate, to use it fairly or wisely, or to have any priorities ither than themsels….
Aye..That wad be a step far too far..
OK… What do I want?
……………….
Stage UNO abolished and incorporated for all , as stage TWO.
………..
Compensation equivalent to Southern Ireland HCV settlements.
OR
Presents SIBSS payments for all continued at same levels for life, and BACKDATED to date of infection. (as Solatium)
Loss of earnings and salaries to date, and also full earnings related pensions paid since having to give up work.
…………….
An end to paying millions of pounds out for this regular HCV fiasco inquiry farce, to lawyers and barristers, who are on four figure salaries… (PER HOUR)
A must read article from hepatitis central
Written by doctor Nicole Cutler.
[EDIT – hyperlink here: http://www.hepatitiscentral.com/news/hepatitis-cs-impact-from-head-to-toe/ ]
Hepatitis c impact from head to toe .harming more than just the liver seven area’s of the body frequently affected by hep c.
The question of how much should should annual payments be ??
Under the government’s equality act 2010 I’m confident that at supreme court everyone who was infected will be treated as one and not categorised as diffrent