What's happened
An inquiry into the infected blood scandal in the UK has revealed shocking failures by the NHS, governments, and medical professionals, leading to over 30,000 patients being knowingly infected with HIV or Hepatitis C in the 1970s and 1980s. The report highlights a 'catalogue of failures' and a pervasive cover-up, with around 3,000 deaths resulting from the infections. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has issued a public apology, acknowledging the 'decades-long moral failure' at the heart of the scandal.
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What the papers say
Sky News reports that the inquiry chair, Sir Brian Langstaff, pointed fingers at several people and institutions for the scandal, while The Guardian highlights the role of successive governments in perpetuating and covering up the disaster. BBC News emphasizes the damning findings of the report, accusing doctors, the government, and the NHS of knowingly exposing victims to risks.
How we got here
The infected blood scandal dates back to the 1970s and 1980s when over 30,000 Britons were infected with HIV and Hepatitis C through contaminated blood products. The scandal involved a 'catalogue of failures' by the NHS, governments, and medical professionals, leading to a pervasive cover-up that compounded the suffering of victims.
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Sir Brian Frederick James Langstaff, styled The Hon. Mr Justice Langstaff, was a judge of the High Court of England and Wales.
He was educated at George Heriot's School, Edinburgh, and then at St Catharine's College, Cambridge.
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The National Health Service is the publicly funded healthcare system in England, and one of the four National Health Service systems in the United Kingdom.