Man makes heartbreaking admission about hospital failings that infected 30,000 people with deadly disease

A man appeared on Good Morning Britain today to discuss the shocking infected blood scandal that saw 30,000 people infected with HIV between the 1970s and early 90s.

A report from the ‘infected blood inquiry’ was released today (9 July), and saw the chair say that thousands had been harmed by the long wait for compensation to families and victims of the scandal.

HIV, which sparked the AIDS epidemic that began in the early 1980s, is a predominantly sexually transmitted disease that disproportionately affected the gay community in the 1980s in the UK and US, and can be fatal.

Throughout the 70s, 80s, and early 90s however, a number of people in hospitals in the UK were unknowingly infected with HIV.

One of the more than 30,000 of these was Mark Ward, a haemophiliac who was infected with not just HIV but also multiple strains of Hepatitis, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, and parvovirus B19.

Ward spoke about how his father died before he was able to see justice (ITV)

He stated on Good Morning Britain that, despite the government claiming to be in the process of compensating victims, he had so far only received ‘interim compensation’.

Ward spoke about how his mother was unable to even say the word ‘AIDs’, adding: “My dad died without seeing justice so it’s hit us hard really.”

Of the more than 30,000 people to have been infected by the blood provided by the NHS, over 3,000 people have died.

Good Morning Britain reported, via the Infected Blood Compensation Authority, that of the 2,043 people to have made a claim so far, 460 have been paid their compensation.

Speaking to The Guardian last year, Ward stated that he has to ‘live life in the fast lane’ because ‘the clock is ticking and mine is running extra fast’.

He went on to say regarding the compensation: “I’m not in this for the money and I never have been.

“Realistically, the government can’t give me back my life. They can’t uninfect me, or take away decades of fear, stigma and pain. Money, though, is what they can give as recognition.”

He went on to say he hoped it would ‘hit them in the pocket hard enough to ensure it’s so expensive that something like this can never happen again.’

A number of recommendations were made as part of the new report released today, including that victims should be allowed to apply for compensation rather than having to be invited.

They also stated that victims and family members who are seriously ill, older or have never received compensation should get priority, and that there were a series of ‘injustices’ that needed addressing.

The government released a statement in response to an earlier report from the inquiry in May 2024 that found that major failings in the NHS had led to the infected blood.

Part of this read: “We would all like to reiterate our wholehearted and unequivocal apology on behalf of current and previous governments to every single person impacted by this scandal.

“We are clear that nothing of this nature can ever happen again, but for this to be anything more than words, tangible action must be taken.” The full statement can be read here.