Spin doctors mistreat hepatitis C sufferers

Twenty years on, the women at the centre of the hepatitis C scandal are still being treated poorly by the State that poisoned them, writes Special Correspondent Michael Clifford

HOW much should one group be forced to suffer at the hands of the State? Last week we were given a glimpse of how a state agency can callously target a highly vulnerable group in order to protect itself from scrutiny. What has emerged is an example of spin over substance .

Just over a week ago, a story broke about the failure of the Government to provide a vital drug to sick people. Hundreds of citizens who suffer from the blood disease hepatitis C are in danger of contracting irreversible liver damage or even dying. The anti-viral drug that could save them, Sovaldi, has been shown to be highly effective.