Former Limerick councillor hit by infected blood scandal

A FORMER Limerick councillor has revealed he’s one of the victims of what’s been described as the biggest scandal in British medical history.

John Loftus, elected 10 years ago this week, is one of 30,000 impacted by the infected blood scandal and is now in line for significant compensation.

Around 3,000 people have lost their lives as a result of receiving contaminated blood.

“I’ve never looked for compensation. My compensation is being alive. I’ve been crying for the people I’ve lost over the years. I’d know at least four people in Limerick who have died as a result of this,” said Mr Loftus, who is from Scotland.

Mr Loftus had hepatitis C for more than 30 years, having contracted it from ex-wife Marie. She received a blood transfusion in 1985 when giving birth to their first child Charlotte.

The infected blood scandal has been thrown back into the spotlight following the conclusion of a five-year public inquiry which highlighted a “chilling” cover-up in Britain’s National Health Service.

Mr Loftus, 68, recovered from hepatitis C in 2017 after taking a wonder-drug named harvoni. Prior to that, he had been taking a cocktail of medication to keep the viral disease at bay, including a year injecting interferon, a substance which was developed to fight leukemia.

He had been initially told of the diagnosis after giving blood in 1991 when doctors spotted an anomaly. They matched his blood with his former wife, with the pair both infected.

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He recalls in the surgery in Glasgow being told he was at risk of all kinds of diseases, and that he might not live beyond the age of 50. “I was in shock. I thought of my two wee girls who were waiting outside. We were going to do something in Glasgow that day,” Mr Loftus said. He says he is not angry at the findings, just relieved to be alive.

“The only anger I have got is for the people who have died as a result of this. It devastated people. Some people – fit and healthy people – went downhill really fast,” he said.

Mr Loftus, who came to Limerick in 2001, was a regular attendee at Cork University Hospital during his ordeal.

He planted a tree outside the hospital, from a sapling he was given by Adare Manor staff during his five years as a councillor. It was a tribute to one particular nurse who loves golfing – in particular, on the fairways at Adare.