Hep C victim not happy with compensation package

BY HEIDI ULRICHSEN

Local Hepatitis C victim Ernie Zivny recently got his hands on a copy of the federal compensation package for people who contracted the virus through tainted blood before 1986 and after 1990, and he's not happy with what he read.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced July 25 that nearly $1 billion had been set aside to compensate them for their suffering, but until now, no other information has been forthcoming.

People who contracted the virus through tainted blood between 1986 and 1990 were compensated in 1998.

Zivny says he'll share his concerns before a judge who is charged with approving the compensation package Feb. 5.

For some reason, the package for pre-1986 and post-1990 victims discriminates on the basis of age – the older the victim, the less money they get, says Zivny.

He says the government probably put the age clause in the package because younger victims will have to live with the virus for a long period of time.

But older victims have sometimes been living with Hepatitis C for a long period of time, and have been unable to support their families because of sickness, Zivny says.

He contracted the virus in 1978 when he received a blood transfusion after a back operation. Now he lives with cirrhosis of the liver, an enlarged liver and spleen, diabetes, arthritis, pain and fatigue brought on by the virus.

Zivny qualifies for the second highest level of compensation provided in the package, although he'd rather not share exactly how much money he'll get.

The sicker a victim is, the larger their compensation package. The packages range between $10,000 and more than $300,000.

The government also says they won't provide any more money for the Hepatitis C victims once the set amount runs out, says Zivny.

He's concerned about this because the government has based the compensation formula on about 5,500 victims, and Zivny figures there are at least 10,000.

The man also dislikes a clause that says he can't get any more compensation if he gets any sicker and needs a liver transplant. Victims receive compensation based on how sick they are at the time the compensation is handed out.

Zivny also complains that the federal government is deducting a percentage of the compensation victims received previously from the Red Cross.

He says the Red Cross owes the federal government money and the government is trying to get it back this way.

“I never thought (federal Health Minister) Tony Clement was a bill collector for the government. He certainly doesn't deserve brownie point for that.”