The Irish Haemopilia Society (IHS) expressed outrage at what it called the Government’s persistent delay in meeting its responsibility to people who were infected with HIV and Hepatitis C by contaminated blood products.
The Minister for Health, Mr Micheál Martin, was accused of dragging his heels on the issue for over three years and of failing to deliver on a commitment to compensate families of those who died as a result of HIV infection.
IHS Chairman, Mr Brian O’Mahony said the Government’s delay in introducing the legislation necessary to set up a mechanism to compensate victims was "disgraceful".
The Government’s commitment to provide fair and equitable compensation was first made in 1999 and has been continually repeated, the IHS said, but it has seen no progress or any draft legislation.
Following a meeting with the IHS this afternoon, the Minister said his Department, in association with the Attorney General's Office and the Department of Finance, is finalising proposals for submission to Government shortly.
He denied any attempt to drag his heels on the matter, adding that the issue was "a major priority" for his Department.
However the IHS said the Government had made commitments before but it has seen no progress today. Society representatives are to meet the families of 64 haemophilia sufferers who have died as a result of HIV infection, but they have nothing to tell them.
The Government’s attempts to overturn previous High Court awards to two Hepatitis C infected persons, shows its apparent desire to stop infected persons from obtaining their entitlements, Mr O’Mahony said.
"This Government is ignoring its moral and political responsibility to persons with haemophilia deprived of quality of life and sadly in many instances life itself," he said.
Ms Liz McManus of the Labour Party and Mr Guy Mitchell of Fine Gael today responded to the IHS calls by saying they are committed to introduce legislation to provide compensation and to setting up a tribunal to examine the role of pharmaceutical companies and international aspect of the controversy.
During the 1980s, 105 people with haemophilia were infected with HIV by contaminated blood products. Since then 64 people have died.