Speaking in London on Friday, UK Infected Blood Inquiry Chairman Brian Langstaff said thousands of individuals who became infected with HIV and hepatitis C as a result of contaminated blood transfusions should be compensated.

"An interim payment should be paid, without delay, to all those infected and all bereaved partners," Langstaff said, adding that payment should be, "no less than £100,000 (€119,119 / $121,626)." Langstaff said, "the moral case for compensation is beyond doubt."

A health scandal swept under the rug for decades

The UK did not begin a public inquiry into this problem, which had existed for decades, until 2018.

From the 1970s into the 1990s, due to blood shortages, the UK's National Health Service (NHS) bought blood and blood products from the US. Much of the supply came from prisoners and high-risk individuals who had been paid to donate blood.

The true number of infected remains unknown but estimates usually place the number somewhere in the range of 25,000 to 30,000.

As a result, 3,891 patients in the UK became infected with hepatitis C and 1,243 with HIV after treatment with tainted blood products. 

In a letter of recommendations to Michael Ellis, minister for the Cabinet Office, Langstaff wrote of the "profound physical and mental suffering" victims had told him of.

'Strong moral case' for compensation pointed out over a decade ago

A Cabinet Office-commissioned report published in June called on the government to accept the, "strong moral case for a publicly funded scheme" to compensate those infected and their families.

In 2009, a government committee faulted ministers for not acting sooner to beef up the UK's own blood supplies to avoid having to import them. That report, too, called for victims' compensation.

In 2017, a High Court ruling opened the door for victims and their families to seek damages through the UK justice system.

Des Collins, a lawyer representing numerous individuals and victims' groups, welcomed the news, despite the fact that it came, "too late for the thousands who have tragically passed away over the intervening years since they were infected."

Edited by: Wesley Dockery