LONDON (AP) — British authorities and the country’s public health service knowingly exposed tens of thousands of patients to deadly infections through contaminated blood and blood products, and hid the truth about the disaster for decades, an inquiry into the U.K.’s infected blood scandal found Monday. An estimated 3,000 people in the United Kingdom are believed to have died and many others were left with lifelong illnesses after receiving blood or blood products tainted with HIV or hepatitis in the 1970s to the early 1990s. The scandal is widely seen as the deadliest disaster in the history of Britain’s state-run National Health Service since its inception in 1948. Former judge Brian Langstaff, who chaired the inquiry, slammed successive governments and medical professionals for “a catalogue of failures” and refusal to admit responsibility to save face and expense. He found that deliberate attempts were made to conceal the scandal, and there was evidence of government officials destroying documents. |
Waitangi 2024: Thousands stand in unity to challenge government on Treaty principlesFree trade deal with India challenging but not impossibleUnlicensed Hastings driver toppled motorcyclist, drove over him, causing fatal injuries, then fledBiden: US will defend Philippines if vessels are attacked — Radio Free AsiaProperty at centre of North Shore walkway stoush now up for saleMouse filmed tidying up man's shed every nightTāngarākau campground murder: Justice WilliamsonGreek vessel hit by missile in Red Sea attackUK economy fell into recession as people cut spendingWhat we're watching: The Great