A claim by a former chief medical consultant of the Blood Transfusion Service Board that he was made unwelcome at Pelican House after his appointment was rejected yesterday by the man who succeeded him.
Dr Vincent Barry, who was chief medical consultant of the BTSB for two years from January 1986, told the tribunal last week that his medical colleagues at Pelican House resented his appointment and did not speak to him.
He said his medical colleagues were "very hurt" when he accepted the post offered to him, while he was sitting in a car, by the retiring national director, the late Dr Jack O'Riordan.
"After all, there had been two senior consultants at Pelican House who had been there longer than myself and they were rather hurt that I said `yes'," he said.
He was referring to the late Dr James Wilkinson, who retired three months later, and to Dr Terry Walsh, who succeeded Dr Barry and who is now giving evidence to the tribunal.
Asked about the incident yesterday by counsel for the Irish Haemophilia Society, Mr John Trainor SC, who referred to a "freeze", Dr Walsh said he did not remember any particular freeze as described by Dr Barry.
Also yesterday, the tribunal heard that from November 5th, 1985, the BTSB was HIV-testing batches of Factor 9 and issuing them, rather than heat-treating them as had been agreed with treating doctors.
Dr Walsh was asked whether he informed the Department of Health of this practice at a meeting in January 1986. He could not recall. Hospitals were not informed of the batch testing either.
Mr Trainor said it transpired this was not effective in picking up infected products as seven haemophiliacs were infected with HIV from non-heat-treated products which were "allowed at large" and not recalled in 1985 and 1986.
Dr Walsh said it was standard practice to test finished products before they were released.
Mr Trainor suggested that the BTSB knew it was expected only to release heat-treated products at this stage but was releasing nonheated ones, and for "its own purposes" it was running batch tests which, if positive, would have led to a recall of product and if negative would have meant the BTSB kept quiet.
Mr Michael McGrath, counsel for the BTSB, said this was merely a wild allegation in the form of a question being put to Dr Walsh. Mr Trainor agreed to withdraw it but said he would return to the issue later.