The threats of contamination to blood supplies were far from over but every effort and resource must be used to ensure patients got a therapy that was as safe as it could be, the national medical director of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) said yesterday.
Speaking at the opening of the IBTS National Blood Centre on St James's Hospital grounds in Dublin, Dr William Murphy said: "Hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV have cut through the blood supply through the world, killing thousands, leaving many more damaged and ill. The threats are far from over."
The new building, however, stood for a commitment from the IBTS, the transfusion service, and from the Government that they would do everything possible to ensure blood transfusion for patients in Ireland was as safe as it possibly could be, he said.
The National Blood Centre was opened by the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, who said there were increasing demands on blood transfusion services to introduce new tests and meet new regulatory requirements.
He referred to a new, more sensitive test, Polymerease Chain Reaction (PCR) for the presence of hepatitis C virus which had been introduced. Tests from the State are being carried out in Scotland currently. He said this would be followed next year by the introduction of the PCR test for HIV.
"Red cells are now universally filtered to remove white blood cells as a precautionary measure. International tests for the presence of prions associated with variant CJD are being developed," the Minister said.
The Minister paid tribute to blood donors and encouraged donations in preparation for the busy Christmas and New Year periods.
IBTS chairman Dr Patricia Barker said they were very conscious of the errors of the past and much of the publicity surrounding the second BTSB inquiry meant that to many the old BTSB was not distinguishable from the current IBTS. "None of us can fail to be moved by the experiences of patients who suffered from the mistakes of the past, but the organisation has changed," Dr Barker said.
"I invite all who are concerned with the supply of a safe and adequate blood service to see, not the old BTSB, but the new IBTS. We have learned painful and difficult lessons," she said.