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.
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