news Tattoo craze hits NZ blood service
Big UK hep C compo plan
NZ – Kiwis’ love affair with tattoos has resulted in an unfortunate increase in the number of would-be blood donors turned away because of health concerns.
UK – The UK Government has announced a £130 million (A$210 mill) boost in support for people who contracted hep C after being treated with contaminated blood.
The New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS) knocked back 1,714 potential donors between July 2009 and June 2010 because they had been inked within six months of wanting to give blood.
Payments to patients who develop serious liver conditions as a result of transfusions of tainted blood during the 1970s and 1980s will see their lump sum payments double to £50,000 (A$81,000) with a new annual payment of £12,800 (A$27,000).
That was up from 1,430 the previous year and 894 the year before that. Marketing manager, Paul Hayes, said having tattoos was just one of a myriad of reasons potential donors are turned away. Others include various illnesses, injuries and medical conditions. • Abridged from stuff.co.nz (7 Nov 2010) http:// tinyurl.com/27uhcg7
NZ goes fibroscan NZ – Waikato Hospital is the first hospital in New Zealand to install a fibroscan machine which identifies potentially fatal liver disease and alleviates the need for painful biopsies. Waikato Hospital’s Gastroenterology Unit took possession of the $200,000 machine last week and is already using it on patients. It is in wide use overseas but had not been used before in New Zealand.
The ex-gratia scheme will also be extended to allow posthumous payments to people with hep C who died before 29 August 2003, following what Health Secretary Andrew Lansley described as “one of the great tragedies in modern healthcare”. Mr Lansley also announced that patients infected with hep C or HIV through blood transfusion would receive free prescriptions and a £300,000 (A$485,000) fund would provide counselling for sufferers over the next three years. “Taken together, these announcements represent a significant rise in the support available to those affected by this tragedy,” said Lansley. “Putting an exact figure on the package is difficult, as there is some uncertainty about how many will be eligible, and how their illnesses may progress.” “However, we believe these new arrangements could provide up to £130 million (A$210 mill) worth of additional support over the course of this Parliament.”
Clinical director of gastroenterology Dr Frank Weilert said the procedure will reduce the number of liver biopsies by 50-60% at Waikato Hospital.
The changes apply only in England, but Mr Lansley said he would speak to the devolved administrations about extending the support across the UK.
“We’re expecting to carry out at least 150 procedures in the next 12 months but anticipate more because the number of suitable candidates for a fibroscan is much greater than for a needle biopsy,” he said.
“Today’s announcements cannot remove the pain and distress these individuals and families have suffered over the years,” he told MPs.
• Abridged from waikatodhb.govt.nz (10 Feb 2010) http://tinyurl.com/2ffqbbb For more information about fibroscan, see ED65, page 24. ED
12 www.hep.org.au
“But I hope these measures can at least bring some comfort, some consolation and perhaps even some closure for those affected.” • Abridged from google.com/hostednews (10 Jan 2011) http://tinyurl.com/4elkx7u