The first extensive report into a tainted-blood scandal in Britain stopped short of blaming individual doctors or companies for what is widely viewed as the National Health Service's worst treatment disaster.

House of Lords member Peter Archer's report yesterday called the scandal a "horrific human tragedy" but did not name any specific medical workers or pharmaceutical companies as being responsible for the deaths of around 2000 haemophiliacs since the 1970s.

The scandal has parallels to similar events in New Zealand when both Labour and National health ministers allowed hundreds of people to be given tainted-blood products that had not been screened for hepatitis C. A reliable screening process became available in 1990, but New Zealand did not introduce nationwide screening until 1992.

In December 2006, the NZ Government announced a $31 million package for about 500 people infected with hepatitis from blood products before blood screening was introduced in 1992, including some who could have been infected in the 1980s, but before reliable screening was available.

Earlier settlements were made in 1998 for people who could prove they were infected between August 1990 when screening of donor blood for hepatitis C was recommended and July 27, 1992 when screening started.

A 2000 settlement involved people who could prove they were infected between February 1990 when screening was feasible and when screening started in July 1992. These settlements covered 113 people.

In Britain, Archer's commission said that US companies that provided unsafe blood plasma products bore a heavy responsibility for infecting roughly 5700 haemophiliacs with HIV, the virus that causes Aids, or hepatitis C.

"It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that commercial interests took precedence over public health concerns," said Archer.

The report recommended more compensation for victims, and giving them free prescription drugs, doctors' visits, counselling, physical therapy and home nursing. But it did not suggest any criminal charges be brought.

"We have not gone out of our way to apportion blame, it is a bit late and perhaps a bit pointless to say who is to blame when it is too late to do much about it," Archer said.

Surviving victims were left bitterly disappointed with the two-year inquiry.

Archer admitted the British Government and health services had been slow to react to the grave danger posed by hepatitis C and HIV contamination of blood products collected from high risk donors such as prison inmates.

Haemophilia is an inherited disorder that prevents blood from clotting properly. It is usually controlled with blood plasma products - but in the 1970s and 1980s those products were often contaminated because of improper screening.

In addition to New Zealand and Britain, tainted-blood scandals have been investigated throughout the world, leading to some convictions of government health officials and many compensation packages for infected haemophiliacs.

But until now, there had been no detailed probe in Britain. Britain's Government had refused to conduct an inquiry.

The review team took evidence from more than 60 witnesses, including many victims and their families, and studied more than 20,000 documents. But it received no official help or evidence from the Government and the political impact of its findings are likely to be blunted by time.

British victims who survived more than two decades because of advanced anti-Aids drugs said the Archer report was undermined because it does not have government backing, meaning its recommendations might not be followed.

Haemophiliacs have also been alarmed by the discovery last week of the human form of mad cow disease in a deceased haemophiliac, raising fears of more threats from contaminated blood.

Nicholas Sainsbury, 44, who also contracted HIV and hepatitis C from blood products, said more money must be paid to victims.

"The main finding is our lives were ruined and we were never compensated," he said.

- AP