JCP Shii calls for relief for all hepatitis patients

   Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo at a press conference on October 25 called for relief to all hepatitis C patients infected through contaminated blood products.

   Shii criticized the Health Ministry for having failed to inform patients of their infections although in possession of the drug maker documents that can identify them, saying, “The Ministry bears a heavy responsibility for neglecting the patients for five years.”

   The Health Ministry recently announced that it had identified the names of two patients among 418 hepatitis C patients caused by fibrinogen, the tainted blood product, but shortly later the ministry said it identified the names of eight more patients.

   Criticizing the ministry’s sloppy handling of the matter, Shii said, “It is necessary to summon to the Diet the ministry officials that handled this issue at that time in order to establish the facts and determine their responsibility.”

   Shii stressed that the government and drug makers must investigate and inform all those who were given the tainted drugs ? the number is said to total about 280,000 ? of risks of their disease by sharing the cost.

   Shii said that the JCP made representations to the health minister based on a proposal that the JCP Dietmembers’ group made public in July last year. In this proposal, the JCP demanded that the government provide medical and livelihood assistance to not only drug-induced hepatitis patients but also all viral hepatitis patients.

   Pointing out that viral hepatitis patients have been infected through blood transfusions, tainted blood products, tainted syringes, or other medical treatments, Shii said, “It is necessary to take measures to give relief to all viral hepatitis patients.”

   Shii also stressed the need to investigate cozy relationship between politicians, bureaucrats, and businesses that have repeatedly given rise to damages caused by medicines.
- Akahata, October 26, 2007