A WOMAN who is one of the key victims of the infected blood scandal has said she believes the government has been forced to act after reports it is now finally set to award victims compensation.

Colette Wintle, who has haemophilia, was infected with hepatitis C twice, and hepatitis B in hospitals in Scotland, Kent and London in the 1970s and 80s, after receiving blood clotting products, during routine NHS treatment, that were American-sourced and came from prisoners who had sold their blood.

In recent days it has emerged a framework is being drawn up by ministers to award billions of pounds to victims of what many consider to be the worst treatment disaster in NHS history.

Mrs Wintle said: “The government have never reacted to anything unless they have come under serious threat.

"That is the only reason why they are currently reacting, because the pressure has mounted to such a point where they know there is no way they can get away with it this time.

"They are going to have to do something.

"Whatever they do they had better not insult us, because we have been through hell. I haven’t spent 25 years of my life campaigning for justice, for them to insult me with a derisory sum of money, which doesn’t reflect what I have suffered or been through.

"There is only way this goes for me, I have had cancer of the liver, I have had an operation, but unfortunately it is highly likely to return.

"I want to know what I have fought for all these years will culminate in justice of a meaningful kind before I die.”

Successive governments ignored victims and refused to accept culpability, despite documents which indicate health officials knew of the dangers.

The government is expected to set up an independent review to examine proposals for a compensation scheme. It is understood this will be concluded by the autumn to ensure such a scheme could be introduced immediately to implement any recommendations made at the end of the ongoing Infected Blood Inquiry, for which Mrs Wintle has been a key witness.

Mrs Wintle says she lost her career in nursing and valuable time with her husband Steve and daughter Rebekah due to her symptoms, which includes massive fatigue, skin itching, being in constant pain, muscle ache, and lack of sleep.

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“People say we are being greedy,” Mrs Wintle said.

“I’d say put yourself in my boots, the destruction of my health, the destruction of family life, the destruction of my ability to earn a living, a life now completely controlled by visits to hospitals - it is no life.

"I’m in the latter stages of my life and the majority of it has been swollen up by having to campaign for justice for something that should never have happened.”