After years of waiting, a man infected with hepatitis C from contaminated blood sat and listened to the outcome of a long called for public inquiry.

Haemophiliac Michael Kenwright, of Chester Road, in Grappenhall, travelled to London each time Lord Archer of Sandwell’s inquiry sat.

He came face to face with its conclusions and recommendations this week.

Monday’s damning verdict called the practice of giving NHS patients contaminated blood a ‘tragedy’, and recommended that the thousands of victims be compensated through the benefits system, with free access to health care and extra money for those infected with multiple diseases.

The verdict came as no surprise to Michael, but after years of getting nowhere with successive Governments, he does not expect this one to react.

“I don’t think they will even give the report a second glance,” he said.

“I think it will get stuck in a drawer and the usual letter will come out saying they have great sympathy and that everything that could have been done was done, but that’s just a complete lie.”

Michael and most of the other people infected during the practice believe the Government knew that the blood was contaminated.

“It was about saving money. That was why they started importing Factor VIII (a blood clotting agent) from America, rather than extend the facilities here and make our own,” said Michael.

Thousands were infected when the Government bought blood from America to subsidise British supplies.

Much of this blood came from prisoners and drug users who were paid for their donations.

The plasma was used to treat haemophilia in the 1970s and 80s.

In that time, close to 5,000 patients were infected with hepatitis C and 1,200 infected with HIV.

Some 4,000 people have since been told they are at risk of contracting variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the human form of BSE.

The report places responsibility for the disaster with the US suppliers, and criticised the British Government’s ‘sluggish’ response to news that the blood was contaminated.

For Michael, the human cost is only too clear.

Though his liver appears to be working normally now, the incubation period for hepatitis is around 25 to 30 years.

That time limit is nearing and it may not be long before Michael’s liver starts to show signs of the illness.

Many of those he has met in his journey for justice have died, and most of the patients infected with HIV have died of hepatitis rather than AIDS.

Lord Archer’s 113-page report concluded: “Commercial priorities should never again override the interests of public health.”

But Michael believes the report won’t make a difference.

“It is shameful that banks are being bailed out with trillions of pounds, when to give all those affected £200,000 would cost less than £1 billion,” he said.

“We can’t shame this Government any more. They don’t have any morals or souls or conscience – they can’t have.” joanna.lean@guardiangrp.co.uk