Damages for tainted milk under review

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-12-11 07:43

A compensation scheme for families of children who died or fell ill after taking contaminated milk food is under review, a Health Ministry spokesman said Wednesday.

The ministry is collecting medical and other records to prepare a compensation package, spokesman Mao Qun'an said.

Melamine-contaminated baby milk food caused the death of six infants and left about 294,000 with urinary tract ailments, including kidney stones.

Mao said local governments have paid for medical check-ups of millions of children to determine whether they are suffering from any melamine-related ailment after the food scare broke out in September.

He said he "has not been authorized to release details" of the compensation plan but assured reporters that relevant departments were working on it and would release the results after the central government approves it.

But some dairy companies whose products were contaminated with the industrial chemical are likely to contribute to the compensation package, he said.

"I think the likelihood is high" that the companies will pay the compensation because the government has borne the expenses for medical screening and other treatment of the children, Mao said.

Children diagnosed with kidney stones have received free treatment in hospitals.

"Future payments should be made by the companies responsible for this," he said when asked if he believed the dairy firms that sold the contaminated milk food would pay the compensation.

Baby milk food made by the Sanlu Group was the first to be found with the chemical, melamine. After that the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine released the names of 22 dairy companies that supplied contaminated milk products and caused children to fall ill.