KEY POINTS:
The Government has announced a $30 million package of one-off payments to around 550 people infected with hepatitis C through the New Zealand blood supply.
The package is to compensate people for being infected with hepatitis C before screening of the blood supply began in 1992.
With the money, they will also get a "statement of acknowledgement" in the form of a personal letter from Prime Minister Helen Clark acknowledging the difficulties they would have faced from being infected due to the gap before screening began.
Health Minister Pete Hodgson said the most a person would be eligible for was around $70,000, but amounts would vary so not everyone would get that much.
He said a one-off payment would be available to people who:
* Were infected with hepatitis C through blood or blood products collected in New Zealand before July 27, 1992.
* Continued to test positive for the presence of the virus or who had a record of treatment which had successfully cleared the virus.
People would have to choose to give their details, accept the amount calculated they should get, and enter into a payment agreement with the Crown.
Mr Hodgson said $5m a year would also be invested to improve access to and uptake of hepatitis C treatment services.
The bad blood controversy has been running for years.
The Government said today's "no fault" package was the third package for people infected with hepatitis C through the blood supply.
Fault-based settlements were made with two groups of people earlier.
One was for people who could prove they were infected between August 1990 when screening of donor blood for hepatitis C was recommended and July 27 1992 when screening started. This settlement was made in 1998.
A 2000 settlement involved people who could prove they were infected between February 1990 when screening was feasible and when screening started in July 1992.
These settlements covered 113 people.
But left out were people who were infected before February 1990, and people with haemophilia who were unable to prove they had contracted the virus after February 1990 as they had received transfusions before and after that date.
Hepatitis C is a virus that affects the liver. It is transmitted when infected blood gets into another person's bloodstream.
Fatigue, nausea, discomfort in the abdominal region and feeling ill when drinking alcohol or eating fatty foods were the most common symptoms.
- NZPA
