Doctors knew they were buying contaminated blood

[lovuian]

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/redir.php?jid=942b5340b57848b5&cat=c08dd24cec417021

Doctors knew they were buying contaminated blood

BILLY BRIGGS January 24 2005

DOCTORS knew that blood they were buying from American troops in 1981 was contaminated and that Scottish prisoners continued to give blood to the NHS during the 1980s despite concerns the practice was unsafe.
Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act and seen by the Sunday Herald, The Herald's sister paper, contain confidential minutes from meetings held by directors of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS).
The papers show that doctors knew in 1981 the blood they were buying in from the US was contaminated with at least two forms of the hepatitis virus.
This appears to contradict evidence that Malcolm Chisholm, former health minister, gave to the health committee when he said the dangers from hepatitis C were not known until 1990.
The evidence is to be used by lawyers to build a case for the government to order a judicial inquiry into how thousands of patients in the UK, including hundreds of Scots, contracted HIV and hepatitis from contaminated blood in the 1970s and 1980s.
More than 1000 people have died after receiving infected blood and many have gone on to develop Aids and liver cancer.
However, unlike other countries where so-called "tainted blood" scandals have led to inquests and criminal convictions, the UK government has so far refused a public inquiry.
Details of the secret SNBTS meetings will be used by campaigners in their fight to find out how they became infected.
Frank Maguire, the Glasgow-based lawyer who represents around 140 patients who contracted hepatitis C through infected blood products, said yesterday he was preparing to take a case against the Lord Advocate, Scotland's most senior law officer, to force an inquiry.
Mr Maguire, of the law firm Thompsons, said he had written to the Lord Advocate asking for an inquiry under terms of article 2 of the European Charter for fundamental rights.
"This reply is missing the point as the crown is obliged under law to hold an inquiry. I will be writing again asking when that will be," he added
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The papers show that doctors knew in 1981 the blood they were buying in from the US was contaminated with at least two forms of the hepatitis virus.
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I can't believe they sold our soldiers blood!!!

[w4rma]

1. Reagan, Thatcher and the Tories were in power then. (nt)

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. You wanna bet

the freepers blame Clinton?

[donsu]

3. criminal americans will do anything for money

america is a crime scene