The Department of Health has reached an agreement with the Irish Hemophilia Society to provide compensation for people who were infected with HIV, and their dependents.
|
The deal is understood to be worth over €100 million. Speaking at the announcement this afternoon, the Minister for Health, Mr Micheál Martin said he was satisfied that the agreement would result in fair and equitable compensation for those affected by the contamination of blood products with HIV.
One of the key provisions of the agreement will allow the dependents of those HIV-infected hemophiliacs who have died to claim damages for pain and suffering to which the deceased would be entitled were he or she in a position to make his own claim.
The fatal claims will also apply to the dependents of persons who died as a result of contracting Hepatitis C from blood or blood products, where those dependents are currently entitled to make a claim to the Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal.
The Bill to amend the Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal Act to allow the Tribunal to compensate hemophiliacs in respect of their HIV condition is currently being drafted. It will be debated in the Dáil and Seanad next week.
"I am particularly happy with this novel approach to compensate the widows and children, and other family members, of those hemophiliacs who died so tragically of HIV," Mr Martin said.