A FAMILY living in the west was so unhappy with the award it received from the hepatitis C tribunal that it has refused to cash the compensation cheque. The woman involved has since died.
The woman, who was married with children, died early this year within weeks of being awarded a sum believed to be £30,000. She was unhappy with this amount but felt that she had to accept it been use her family would receive only £7,500 if she did not settle the case before her death. Tribunal awards of up to £324,000 have been made.
The Fianna Fail spokeswoman on health, Ms Maire Geoghegan Quinn, said the woman was "in imminent danger of death and had no choice but to go to the compensation tribunal" to get her case dealt with quickly as she was near death.
The award to the family was at the lower end of the scale of compensation payments made by the tribunal, Ms Geogheghan Quinn said. The family, even though it was in difficult financial circumstances, felt so aggrieved at its treatment by the State that it would not present the cheque for payment.
She said she was not at liberty to discuss the precise details of the award because of the need to guarantee confidentiality for anti D victims.
The woman's family is taking legal advice following the recent developments in the hepatitis C controversy and the decision by the Minister for Health to set up a judicial tribunal of inquiry.
"I believe the family are watching with great interest as the whole thing has unfolded. The goalposts have changed now. There will be other families legally reviewing their situation," said Ms Geogheghan Quinn. "This includes families where the recipient is still alive."
She said she could understand the anger and disappointment among victims of anti D. While she welcomed the tribunal of inquiry, it had to "get at the truth and give justice to these families at last".