TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 1993
LEVELS OF EX-GRATIA PAYMENTS TO HIV-INFECTED HAEMOPHILIACS ANNOUNCED
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THE COUNCIL FOR THE AIDS TRUST FUND HELD ITS FIRST MEETING THIS (TUESDAY) AFTERNOON.
THIS FOLLOWED THE FINANCE COMMITTEE'S APPROVAL LAST FRIDAY (APRIL 16) OF THE ALLOCATION OF $350 MILLION TO THE TRUST FUND.
AFTER TODAY'S MEETING, COUNCIL CHAIRMAN PROFESSOR DAVID TODD ANNOUNCED DETAILS OF HOW THE TRUST FUND WOULD BE ALLOCATED.
EX-GRATIA PAYMENTS TO HIV-INFECTED HAEMOPHILIACS
WHO
'EX-GRATIA PAYMENTS WILL BE MADE TO HIV-INFECTED HAEMOPHILIACS ARE HONG KONG RESIDENTS AND HAVE BEEN INFECTED BY HIV THROUGH TRANSFUSION OF BLOOD OR BLOOD PRODUCTS IN HONG KONG PRIOR TO AUGUST 1985," PROFESSOR TODD SAID.
HE SAID HAVING REGARD
ΤΟ THE GOVERNMENT'S SYMPATHY AND COMPASSION FOR THE INFECTED PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES, THE COMMUNITY'S VIEWS ON THE AMOUNT OF EX-GRATIA PAYMENTS TO BE GRANTED, SIMILAR SCHEMES IN OVERSEAS COUNTRIES AND THE DESIRABILITY OF SIMPLE ADMINISTRATION, LEVELS OF PAYMENT WOULD BE MADE TO ELIGIBLE CLAIMANTS AS FOLLOWS:
MARRIED WITH DEPENDENT CHILDREN
$1,000,000
MARRIED WITHOUT DEPENDENT CHILDREN
SINGLE
$ 750,000
600,000
BACH INFECTED SPOUSE AND/OR CHILD OF THE ABOVE
300,000
PROVIDED THAT THEY ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO CLAIM UNDER ANY OF THE CATEGORIES LISTED ABOVE, THE FAMILY OF A VICTIM WHO HAS DIED WOULD RECEIVE $300,000.
"THESE LEVELS OF PAYMENTS ARE BROADLY SIMILAR TO THOSE UNDER THE UK SCHEME, BUT OUR SCHEME IS SIMPLER AND MORE GENEROUS", PROFESSOR TODD SAID.
"WE HAVE ALSO ADDED A CATEGORY, NOT PRESENT UNDER THE UK SCHEME, TO ALLOW PAYMENTS TO THE FAMILIES OF ELIGIBLE VICTIMS WHO HAVE ALREADY DIED, WHERE THOSE FAMILY MEMBERS WOULD NOT OTHERWISE BE ELIGIBLE FOR PAYMENT.
"THE COUNCIL SECRETARY WILL BE IN TOUCH WITH KNOWN ELIGIBLE CLAIMANTS, AND THESE CASES WILL BE PROCESSED WITH ALL DUE SPEED.
"ALL INFORMATION WILL BE KEPT STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL, HE ADDED.
PROFESSOR TODD ALSO SAID A SPECIAL SUB-COMMITTEE HAD BEEN SET UP TO ASSIST THE COUNCIL IN SCREENING CASES AND VALIDATING CLAIMS,
/MEDICAL/SUPPORT