Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, has said she is delighted that the voices of the victims of the infected blood scandal have finally been heard and that they are to receive more financial help from the Scottish Government. For those Hepatitis C sufferers who were infected in Scotland, the Scottish Government has committed to:-
- Increasing annual payments to £27,000 for those with advanced Hepatitis C (at Stage 2) or HIV and increasing them to £37,000 for those co-infected with both Hepatitis C and HIV.
- Providing annual payments to widows and widowers of those who have died as a result of their advanced (Stage 2) Hepatitis C or HIV infection. These payments will be 75% of the amount the infected person would be entitled to under the new arrangements if they were alive.
- Providing an additional lump sum of £30,000 to all those who are infected with chronic Hepatitis C at Stage 1. This will bring the total lump sum all those infected in Scotland have received to at least £50,000, given that those with chronic infection have already received £20,000. Given the additional impact of co-infection with Hepatitis C and HIV, the co-infected people currently at Stage 1 will automatically move to Stage 2 and receive a £50,000 lump sum payment.
- Increasing Scottish Government funding for a Support and Assistance grants scheme for those infected and their families to £1 million per year.
Commenting, Rhoda Grant said “This outcome is largely due to the campaigning of Bruce Norval, a victim from the Black Isle, who I supported over many years and assisted him in securing meetings with the current Cabinet Secretary, Shona Robison, and her predecessor, Alex Neil.
Mrs Grant continued “The victims of this scandal, and their families, have seen their lives change beyond belief through absolutely no fault of their own and it is only right and proper that the Government has agreed to offer more compensation to make their daily lives just that little bit easier.
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