British PM Rishi Sunak apologises for 'infecting thousands with tainted blood', says its 'a day of shame for the British state'

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has issued a public apology following a damning report revealing a cover-up by the National Health Service (NHS). The report details a tragic scandal where over 30,000 individuals were infected with life-threatening viruses, including HIV and Hepatitis C, while under NHS care between the 1970s and 1990s, resulting in more than 3,000 deaths.

At the heart of the scandal lies the use of contaminated batches of Factor VIII, a crucial blood clotting protein haemophiliacs are unable to produce naturally. These tainted batches were imported from the United States and widely administered to patients during the aforementioned period. Lack of testing for HIV/AIDS until 1986 and Hepatitis C until 1991 in the UK led to the infections.

The report said around 1,250 people with bleeding disorders, including 380 children, were infected with HIV -tainted blood products. Three-quarters of them have died. Up to 5,000 others who received the blood products developed chronic hepatitis C, a type of liver infection.


Meanwhile an estimated 26,800 others were also infected with hepatitis C after receiving blood transfusions, often given in hospitals after childbirth, surgery or an accident, the report said, as reported by AP.

"This is a day of shame for the British state," Sunak told the British parliament. He made a "wholehearted and unequivocal apology" for the injustice, vowing to pay "whatever it costs" to compensate victims and their families.

He told the MPs, "I want to make a wholehearted and unequivocal apology for this terrible injustice," and vowed to pay "whatever it costs" to make amends for the victims and their families.

"I want to make a wholehearted and unequivocal apology for this terrible injustice," he told MPs, promising to pay "whatever it costs" to compensate those affected and the families of victims who died.

Inquiry Findings
The extensive 2,527-page report, following a five-year investigation, found evidence of a cover-up. "Standing back, and viewing the response of the NHS and of government, the answer to the question 'was there a cover up?' is that there has been," noted Langstaff according to an AP report. "Not in the sense of a handful of people plotting in an orchestrated conspiracy to mislead, but in a way that was more subtle, more pervasive and more chilling in its implications."

"The scale of what happened is horrifying. The most accurate estimate is that more than 3,000 deaths are attributable to infected blood, blood products and tissue," notes Langstaff in his report following a five-year investigation.

Campaigners have long fought for justice, and the report marks a significant milestone in their battle. Sunak promised to "right this historic wrong" and announced a compensation package expected to total 10 billion pounds ($12.7 billion).

The scandal is seen as the deadliest disaster in the NHS's history, with the report highlighting a series of failures by authorities and medical professionals. The inquiry's findings bring hope for accountability and justice for the victims and their families, ending decades of suffering and injustice.

(With inputs from agencies)