Britain to Compensate Some Infected by HIV
Britain on Monday announced a $21-million plan to compensate people infected with the AIDS virus after blood transfusions carried out by the state health service.
Health Secretary William Waldegrave told Parliament that 74 people and their HIV-infected spouses and children would each receive a maximum of $142,000.
The Conservative government decided to pay compensation to HIV-infected hemophiliacs in 1990 after a long campaign by victims.
Waldegrave said the government did not accept the principle of awarding compensation for medical accidents on a no-blame basis, but had decided to make a special case for HIV-infected hemophiliacs and blood transfusion victims.
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