本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛Saying Canadians have the right to expect safe blood, police laid criminal charges today against four doctors, an American pharmaceutical company and the Canadian Red Cross at least two decades after thousands were infected with tainted blood.
And further charges may follow, said Supt. Rod Knecht, head of the Toronto-based RCMP Blood Task Force.
"The Canadian public needs to have confidence in their public institutions," Knecht told a news conference to announce the charges after a five-year investigation into the tragedy that spread HIV and hepatitis C to thousands of Canadians.
"The Canadian public has the right to expect the safest blood and the safest blood products possible. This is fundamental to health, safety and lives of everyone living in Canada."
The charges include criminal negligence causing bodily harm, which carries a maximum 10-year sentence.
"There are specific aspects of this investigation that we continue to pursue," said Knecht. "The possibility exists that we will be laying further charges."
The blood task force has also laid the lesser charges of common nuisance by endangering the public, which carries a maximum two-year sentence, as well as a charge of failure to notify under the Food and Drug Act regulations.
The Canadian Red Cross was charged with six counts of common nuisance by endangering the public.
All four doctors and New Jersey-based Armour Pharmaceutical Company were charged with criminal negligence and endangering the public for allegedly allowing Armour's blood-clotting product, infected with HIV, to be given to hemophilia patients and thus putting the public at risk of contracting the deadly virus.
The Red Cross and Dr. Roger Perrault, 66, its former director of blood transfusion, were also charged with not screening out blood donors who might have HIV.
Armour was also charged with failing to notify the federal Health Ministry of problems or suspected problems with the blood product it distributed to the Canadian Red Cross Society.
Police identified the remaining three doctors charged as:
- Dr. John Furesz, 75, of Ottawa, former director of biologics at Ottawa's health protection branch.
- Dr. Wark Boucher, 62, of Nepean, an Ottawa suburb. He is a former chief of the blood products at the health protection branch.
- Dr. Michael Rodell, 70, a former vice-president of Armour who lives in Pennsylvania.
The tainted-blood affair is considered one of the worst public health disasters in Canadian history. About 1,100 Canadians became infected with blood-borne HIV and between 10,000 and 20,000 others contracted hepatitis C after receiving tainted blood products, the Canadian Hemophilia Society says.
A police investigation was launched in 1997 after RCMP received complaints there had been criminal wrongdoing. The complaints followed an exhaustive inquiry into the tragedy that directed criticism at every major player in the blood system.
The inquiry, headed by Justice Horace Krever, failed to lay direct blame for the disaster but recommended compensation for at least 12,000 Canadians.
Jeremy Beaty, 65, who contracted hepatitis C from a blood transfusion during heart surgery in the late 1970s, said Wednesday the criminal charges show "the major institutions in our country have all been negligent" in administering the blood supply.
A former president of the Hepatitis C Society of Canada, Beaty said the charges open the door for others - potentially about 5,000 Canadians - to receive compensation from a $1.2-billion government fund to help those who received tainted blood.
The charges suggest that negligence may have occurred outside the 1985 to 1990 compensation period because all the parties involved were distributing blood outside that window. The police investigation, which began in 1980, also spanned a longer time frame than the compensation window.
The Canadian Red Cross began screening for HIV in 1985. It did not begin screening for hepatitis C until 1990, four years after the United States began testing for the disease that affects the liver.
As recently as last month, questions were still being raised about the country's blood system.
In a lengthy report issued in early October, the National Blood Safety Council said provinces need to assume a greater role in keeping blood safe.
The report cited a lack of political will among health ministries even in the years following the Krever inquiry.
Many, but not all, of Krever's 50 final recommendations suggesting ways to help prevent a similar debacle have been implemented.
The Canadian Blood Services was created to take over the system of blood donations and manage Canada's blood supply. It has taken pains to restore public confidence with slogans and ad campaigns.
And since the inquiry, a new level of scrutiny has been introduced to traditional blood screening methods.
Dr. Graham Sher, of the Canadian Blood Services, said the charges reflect possible inadequacies in Canada's previous blood supply system.
"The public believes the system is safer today than it was five years ago," Sher said from Ottawa.
Sher said recent polls suggest more than 80 per cent of Canadians now have faith in the blood distribution system and donations are up 17 per cent since his agency was created in 1998.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
And further charges may follow, said Supt. Rod Knecht, head of the Toronto-based RCMP Blood Task Force.
"The Canadian public needs to have confidence in their public institutions," Knecht told a news conference to announce the charges after a five-year investigation into the tragedy that spread HIV and hepatitis C to thousands of Canadians.
"The Canadian public has the right to expect the safest blood and the safest blood products possible. This is fundamental to health, safety and lives of everyone living in Canada."
The charges include criminal negligence causing bodily harm, which carries a maximum 10-year sentence.
"There are specific aspects of this investigation that we continue to pursue," said Knecht. "The possibility exists that we will be laying further charges."
The blood task force has also laid the lesser charges of common nuisance by endangering the public, which carries a maximum two-year sentence, as well as a charge of failure to notify under the Food and Drug Act regulations.
The Canadian Red Cross was charged with six counts of common nuisance by endangering the public.
All four doctors and New Jersey-based Armour Pharmaceutical Company were charged with criminal negligence and endangering the public for allegedly allowing Armour's blood-clotting product, infected with HIV, to be given to hemophilia patients and thus putting the public at risk of contracting the deadly virus.
The Red Cross and Dr. Roger Perrault, 66, its former director of blood transfusion, were also charged with not screening out blood donors who might have HIV.
Armour was also charged with failing to notify the federal Health Ministry of problems or suspected problems with the blood product it distributed to the Canadian Red Cross Society.
Police identified the remaining three doctors charged as:
- Dr. John Furesz, 75, of Ottawa, former director of biologics at Ottawa's health protection branch.
- Dr. Wark Boucher, 62, of Nepean, an Ottawa suburb. He is a former chief of the blood products at the health protection branch.
- Dr. Michael Rodell, 70, a former vice-president of Armour who lives in Pennsylvania.
The tainted-blood affair is considered one of the worst public health disasters in Canadian history. About 1,100 Canadians became infected with blood-borne HIV and between 10,000 and 20,000 others contracted hepatitis C after receiving tainted blood products, the Canadian Hemophilia Society says.
A police investigation was launched in 1997 after RCMP received complaints there had been criminal wrongdoing. The complaints followed an exhaustive inquiry into the tragedy that directed criticism at every major player in the blood system.
The inquiry, headed by Justice Horace Krever, failed to lay direct blame for the disaster but recommended compensation for at least 12,000 Canadians.
Jeremy Beaty, 65, who contracted hepatitis C from a blood transfusion during heart surgery in the late 1970s, said Wednesday the criminal charges show "the major institutions in our country have all been negligent" in administering the blood supply.
A former president of the Hepatitis C Society of Canada, Beaty said the charges open the door for others - potentially about 5,000 Canadians - to receive compensation from a $1.2-billion government fund to help those who received tainted blood.
The charges suggest that negligence may have occurred outside the 1985 to 1990 compensation period because all the parties involved were distributing blood outside that window. The police investigation, which began in 1980, also spanned a longer time frame than the compensation window.
The Canadian Red Cross began screening for HIV in 1985. It did not begin screening for hepatitis C until 1990, four years after the United States began testing for the disease that affects the liver.
As recently as last month, questions were still being raised about the country's blood system.
In a lengthy report issued in early October, the National Blood Safety Council said provinces need to assume a greater role in keeping blood safe.
The report cited a lack of political will among health ministries even in the years following the Krever inquiry.
Many, but not all, of Krever's 50 final recommendations suggesting ways to help prevent a similar debacle have been implemented.
The Canadian Blood Services was created to take over the system of blood donations and manage Canada's blood supply. It has taken pains to restore public confidence with slogans and ad campaigns.
And since the inquiry, a new level of scrutiny has been introduced to traditional blood screening methods.
Dr. Graham Sher, of the Canadian Blood Services, said the charges reflect possible inadequacies in Canada's previous blood supply system.
"The public believes the system is safer today than it was five years ago," Sher said from Ottawa.
Sher said recent polls suggest more than 80 per cent of Canadians now have faith in the blood distribution system and donations are up 17 per cent since his agency was created in 1998.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net