The Blood Transfusion Service Board's efforts to recall clotting agents which had not been virally inactivated in early 1986 were not confined to sending a letter to hospitals, as had previously been thought, the tribunal heard.
New evidence presented yesterday shows there was also contact, presumed to be by phone, with at least one hospital before the letter went out, which resulted in the return of non-heat-treated factor 9 by Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, to Pelican House.
However, it appears contact by phone was not made with all hospitals and the non-heat-treated product which was not recalled went on to infect seven haemophiliacs in the State with HIV.
Mr Michael McGrath SC, for the BTSB, opened new documents during his cross-examination of Dr Terry Walsh, former chief medical consultant of the BTSB, which showed 30 vials of factor 9 were issued to the Drogheda hospital in December 1985 and "returned for heat-treatment as requested" on January 24th, 1986.
Mr McGrath said a meeting took place between officials of the BTSB and the Department of Health on January 21st, 1986, where it was agreed that the board should stop issuing non-heat-treated products and write to hospitals about product they already had in stock.
Dr Walsh wrote to hospitals on January 30th, but, as Mr McGrath pointed out, the stock from the Drogheda hospital had been returned by request before this notice was sent out. The notice, the tribunal has already heard, did not however request that non-heat-treated factor 9 made by the BTSB be returned to Pelican House.
Mr Gerard Durcan SC, for the tribunal, had suggested on Monday that the BTSB had no guidelines to ensure its products were safe and as a result the recall of products was "haphazard". Mr McGrath said the new evidence contradicted this.