May 3, 2011
Plaintiffs of hepatitis-B lawsuits on May 2 decided to accept a settlement with the government that was mediated by the Sapporo District Court last month.
Head of the plaintiffs group, Taniguchi Mieko, at a press conference said, “It was difficult for us to accept the compromise but we did so because the longer we prolong the lawsuits, the more patients we lose.”
Chronic hepatitis B patients, whose right to claim compensation expires after 20 years from the onset of symptoms, will receive less settlement money than that of other hepatitis B patients and carriers.
The plaintiffs in a statement criticized the 20-year “statute of limitation” as discriminating between patients in determining the amount of settlements. The statement calls for measures to prevent the recurrence of inappropriate vaccinations, a main cause of hepatitis B infection.
The plaintiffs have been pressing the government for a complete settlement to relieve all the patients at an earlier possible stage, given that 13 plaintiffs have already died since the lawsuit was initiated.
The number of hepatitis B carriers and patients in Japan totals about 1.2 million. Half of them contracted the hepatitis B virus through mandatory vaccinations.
As for the patients whose “statute of limitations” is past, the government will pay three million yen in compensation to those who are currently undergoing treatment and 1.5 million yen to the patients whose conditions are stable. Children under 20 years old who contracted the virus via their mothers will receive six million yen. The government will pay 25 million yen for death, liver cancer patients, and severe cirrhosis patients; 12.5 million yen to chronic hepatitis patients; 500,000 yen to asymptomatic carriers; and 500 million yen to hepatitis related-organizations.
Head of the plaintiffs group, Taniguchi Mieko, at a press conference said, “It was difficult for us to accept the compromise but we did so because the longer we prolong the lawsuits, the more patients we lose.”
Chronic hepatitis B patients, whose right to claim compensation expires after 20 years from the onset of symptoms, will receive less settlement money than that of other hepatitis B patients and carriers.
The plaintiffs in a statement criticized the 20-year “statute of limitation” as discriminating between patients in determining the amount of settlements. The statement calls for measures to prevent the recurrence of inappropriate vaccinations, a main cause of hepatitis B infection.
The plaintiffs have been pressing the government for a complete settlement to relieve all the patients at an earlier possible stage, given that 13 plaintiffs have already died since the lawsuit was initiated.
The number of hepatitis B carriers and patients in Japan totals about 1.2 million. Half of them contracted the hepatitis B virus through mandatory vaccinations.
As for the patients whose “statute of limitations” is past, the government will pay three million yen in compensation to those who are currently undergoing treatment and 1.5 million yen to the patients whose conditions are stable. Children under 20 years old who contracted the virus via their mothers will receive six million yen. The government will pay 25 million yen for death, liver cancer patients, and severe cirrhosis patients; 12.5 million yen to chronic hepatitis patients; 500,000 yen to asymptomatic carriers; and 500 million yen to hepatitis related-organizations.
