‘The German government surely owes a moral debt to those who have suffered’ – Mark Lazarowicz MP
Mark Lazarowicz MP is among a number of Labour MPs to have written to the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, calling for the German Government to engage in dialogue with representatives from the Thalidomide Trust and to look to compensate victims who are now in their 50s so that their increasing health needs can be met.
The drug was manufactured by a German company, Grünenthal, and was prescribed in the UK mainly for use by pregnant women to treat morning sickness between 1958 and 1961 but was then withdrawn after concern over side-effects.
It is now clear that the manufacturer had prior knowledge of the dangers of Thalidomide which were ignored – and those people affected and their families should have been entitled to a much larger settlement than they agreed to at the time.
The North and Leith MP said: “I am regularly contacted by people here in Edinburgh whose lives have been affected by Thalidomide – the compensation paid to Thalidomide victims in the UK remains inadequate, yet their health needs are complex and increasing as they and their families age.
“The German government surely owes a moral debt to those who have suffered as a result – if families had known of the prior knowledge that existed they could have pressed for much higher compensation.
“I call on the German government to sit down with the Thalidomide Trust and agree to compensation that will allow victims’ health needs to be met as they get older and bring them justice at last.”
Around 40% of babies affected died at or shortly after birth whilst over 10,000 people worldwide were born with a disability as a result. The Thalidomide Trust currently supports 468 survivors in the UK, over 50 of whom are in Scotland.