The Israeli government will compensate people who contracted the virus that causes AIDS after undergoing blood transfusions at Israeli hospitals.
Under a law passed by the Knesset on Wednesday, the government will pay a lump sum of about $95,000 to patients infected with HIV as a result of transfusions received in recognized hospitals. The measure was adopted unanimously.
Israel has been checking blood for contamination with the virus since 1986. But a number of hemophiliacs are known to have been infected before that time.
The law provides that payment can be made to a spouse or child of an infected person. Moreover, if the infected person dies before receiving the award, his or her dependents are to receive a pension for the rest of their lives.
The legislation creates a committee comprising a judge and two doctors to determine, in each case, whether HIV infection was attributable to a blood transfusion received in Israel.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
