LONDON, Feb 23, 2009 (AFP) - An inquiry into a contaminated blood scandal in Britain which caused the death of around 2,000 people criticised Monday "procrastination" by government and officials over the affair.
Thousands of people with haemophilia contracted hepatitis C and HIV after receiving blood transfusions through Britain's state-run National Health Service (NHS) in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Because of a shortage of blood products here, the NHS bought much of its stock from US suppliers whose donors, including prisoners and other groups at high risk of infection, had been paid for their blood.
Lord Peter Archer, who led the independent inquiry, called what had happened a "horrific human tragedy".
The Archer Inquiry found that ministers should have acted sooner to try and make British blood supplies self-sufficient so it did not have to rely on imports. It also called for compensation for those affected.
"The procrastination in achieving national self-sufficiency to avoid the use of high-risk blood products from overseas had disastrous consequences," the inquiry's report said.
"Had self-sufficiency been achieved earlier, the scale of the catastrophe would have been significantly reduced."
In the 1970s and early 1980s, some 4,670 haemophiliacs were infected with hepatitis C and around 1,200 were infected with HIV between the early 1980s and early 1990s, the report said.
The Department of Health saw the inquiry as "unnecessary" and refused to provide witnesses to give evidence in public to the inquiry, the report added.
The department said in response to Monday's publication that it had "great sympathy" for those affected by tainted blood, adding: "Steps to safeguard blood products against HIV and hepatitis C have been in place since 1985."
But many victims are still angry.
Robert Hodgkins, 40, who has haemophilia and contracted HIV after receiving contaminated blood products, said: "I do not have any faith in the government to actually do anything.
"I do not think they will after having avoided it for 25 to 30 years now."
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