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EDITORIAL: Redress for hepatitis B
It will cost a lot of money, but Japan cannot stand back and do nothing. The nation as a whole must think about the serious problem of how to share the burden of compensating hepatitis B patients.
In a lawsuit filed by patients who developed hepatitis B through group vaccinations, the government proposed a settlement centering on payments of up to 25 million yen ($312,000) for cases including deaths.
If the amount is applied to potential patients across the nation, the necessary budget would come to 2 trillion yen for the next 30 years. Some Cabinet members commented that it may warrant a tax increase.
The preventive vaccination law was enacted in 1948, soon after the end of World War II. Group vaccinations based on the law protected the lives of children from such infectious diseases as whooping cough, diphtheria and tuberculosis and played the role of social defense.
However, until 1988, when the former health ministry issued a notice to change vaccination needles for each person, needles were reused, causing some people to be infected with hepatitis B.
In an earlier lawsuit filed by patients who developed chronic hepatitis caused by reuse of needles, the Supreme Court recognized the negligence of the government and ordered it to pay damages.
According to the government, the total number of hepatitis B patients and carriers is about 1.2 million. Many of the cases are believed to be mother-to-child transmissions. Those suspected to have been caused by group vaccination are estimated at around 500,000, including about 450,000 carriers of the virus who have not developed symptoms.
The patients' side is criticizing the proposed settlement, saying it prompts fear by making the amount seem excessively large and attempts to drive a wedge between patients and the public.
It is true that many infected people are leading normal lives, and we don't know how many of them are going to demand payment. But the amount of money needed is information that the taxpaying public, who hold sovereign power, has the right to know.
We support the government for publicizing the details of the proposed settlement.
People who underwent group vaccinations during the period in question are now in their 20s to 60s. While there are various views about the ratio of infection by group vaccinations, it could have happened to anyone. Most people are now in the position to think about how to bear the burden, but they, too, could have been the ones seeking redress.
The government does not have a magic treasure chest from which money flows. There is no other way than for the public to pay for the welfare administration mistake that went on for many years.
The patients' side, which is demanding broader redress, plans to reveal what it thinks in Oct. 26. No doubt the negotiations are going to be tough, but we urge both the government and patients to present data and information to back up their assertions and engage in discussions that lead to a national consensus. While keeping an eye on the progress, the Diet also needs to discuss how to come up with the necessary revenues.
Many infected people have also been troubled by discrimination and prejudice by those around them. The negotiations for settlement are not someone else's problem.
--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 21
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发表于 2010-10-23 08:40
