It was ruled in High Court today that a man, who is suffering from advanced liver disease, is to get compensation of more than €1.26 million as a result of contracting Hepatitis C from a contaminated blood transfusion administered to him when he was a young child boy.
When he was 20-years-old the man was given a provisional compensation award of €647,000 from the Hepatitis C and HIV Compensation Tribunal. He appealed to the High Court in relation to an additional compensation award of €200,000 made in 2018. He is now over 40-years old and is married with children.
Mr Justice Bernard Barton , in a judgment released this week, more than trebled the €200,000 award to a sum of €620,642 while also increasing the tribunal’s general compensation award of €150,000 to €220,000. This was in relation to the consequences of decompensated cirrhosis of the liver – advanced liver disease – caused by the Hepatitis C virus.
The man claimed the award failed to properly take into account the devastating consequences de-compensated cirrhosis has had, and will go on having, on every aspect of his life, including shortening it and the likelihood he will develop liver cancer at some point in the future. Along with this he was seeking compensation in relation to some childcare costs arising from his inability to assist with childcare.
His spouse is in full time employment in a senior position, is not due to retire for many years, so they have had to hire a permanent childminder.
In his judgment, the judge remarked that the man contracted Hepatitis C due to a contaminated blood transfusion given to him as a toddler when he was taken to hospital in the 1980s in relation to a different medical condition which was successfully treated.
However, during his adolescence, the Hepatitis C illness began to affect impact on his bodily functions, he had to decline a promotion to an important position and had to retire from work when he was just 20 years old.