NORTHERN IRELAND’S 18 surviving thalidomide sufferers are to receive £1.1 million in compensation, the North’s Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey, has announced.
The news follows an announcement by British junior health minister Mike O’Brien that compensation would be made available for thalidomide survivors in England.
“I fully support the principle of meeting the health needs for any patient who has suffered ill health through using medicines which, unknown to them, carried unacceptable safety risks,” said Mr McGimpsey.
The Health Minister expressed sincere apologies for the “injury and suffering endured” by those affected by the drug between 1958 and 1961, which was taken by expectant mothers to offset symptoms of early pregnancy.
The news was welcomed by Paul Anderson, a thalidomide survivor, who said the money would make a “significant difference”.
Thalidomide victims in the Republic are seeking a review of a 1975 compensation agreement with the then government, which they say granted them a minuscule amount. Victims handed a letter to Taoiseach Brian Cowen on the issue last month.