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New Compensation Scheme for Thalidomide Victims

Both Government Parties have pledged to address the original compensation scheme offered to victims of the morning sickness drug Thalidomide, and to work towards agreeing a new, fair and equitable scheme.

Malcomson Law has been working with the Irish Thalidomide Association (ITA) to secure such a compensation scheme for 26 members of the Association, who are now approaching their fifties and suffering healthcare consequences not foreseen when the original scheme was put in place in 1975. As well as the limb deformities associated with the drug, victims of thalidomide are suffering with rapidly deteriorating health, and disabilities that are usually seen in people much older.

In December 2009, the UK government delivered an apology to victims of the drug and put in place compensation amounting to £20,000 per person per year. For the past three years, Malcomson Law and the ITA have been in discussions with the Minister for Health & Children to affect a similar change in Ireland.

Discussions with the Labour Party and Fine Gael have led to the parties agreeing that a reassessment of the compensation scheme for thalidomide survivors will have a place in the new programme for government.

The Labour Party pledged in their manifesto: "In light of their particular needs, Labour will commit to enter into discussions with survivors of Thalidomide to ensure that they receive fair and equitable compensation and a statutory right to the health care they need for the rest of their lives".

Fine Gael's manifesto stated that "We will reopen discussions with the Irish Thalidomide Association regarding further compensation for victims of thalidomide".

Thalidomide was withdrawn from the market in 1961 after it became clear it was directly linked to numerous birth defects, limb deformities and miscarriages.

You can read more about thalidomide here.

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