The Canadian Red Cross admitted in court to distributing tainted blood to thousands of people throughout the country and infecting them with HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C. The tainted blood was responsible for the deaths of over 3000 people.
The horrific tragedy, dating back to the 80s, may well be the worst health scandal in Canadian history. The chief of the Canadian branch of the humanitarian organization Pierre Duplessis, gave a taped statement to the court on Monday admitting guilt for the work.
“The Canadian Red Cross Society is deeply sorry for the injury and death caused to those who were infected by blood or blood products it distributed, and for the suffering caused to families and loved ones of those who were harmed.
We profoundly regret that the Canadian Red Cross Society did not develop and adopt more quickly measures to reduce the risks of infection, and we accept responsibility through our plea for having distributed harmful products to those who relied upon us for their health.”
As a result, the Canadian Red Cross no longer handles blood distributions at all. They’ve undergone leadership changes and they’ve dedicated $70 million to individuals and their families who got the tainted blood.
The penalties they face include C$1.5 million to educational institutions for research and scholarships. They have also been ordered to pay fines of about C$5000.
Duplessis had additional words in a statement of the Canadian Red Cross website:
“As I sat in court today, my thoughts were of those people affected by this tragedy of their loss, of their heartache, their courage and even their anger. Blood they had trusted to give life – ended up taking it away. Many died mothers, fathers, sons and daughters and thousands continue to suffer the effects today.
I also thought of respected, dedicated, long-serving Red Cross workers who made decisions with the best of intentions.
There will be no way to easily reconcile or satisfy the wide range of emotions and perspectives that will arise today, but they all form part of what impelled Red Cross to enter the plea we did.”
