POSITIVE Action has expressed anger that the former chief medical consultant of the Blood Transfusion Service Board is involved in a blood testing service.
The chairwoman of the group, Ms Jane O'Brien, said reports that Dr Terry Walsh was still involved in this area, working with two current employees of the blood bank, "had caused a lot of upset and anger" among victims.
Positive Action represents women infected with hepatitis C through anti-D immunoglobulin.
Dr Walsh, a consultant haematologist, and two laboratory technicians are involved in the blood and tissue typing service used in parentage testing in a private clinic in Donnybrook, Dublin. At his home last night a member of Dr Walsh's family said that he was not available for comment.
The chief executive officer of the BTSB, Mr Liam Dunbar, said yesterday that it was "probably not the wisest thing for the two members of staff to continue giving the service in the current circumstances. But I think the reality is that if they had stopped there is nobody else to provide the service".
He added that the BTSB had "no control over what Dr Walsh does".
Dr Jill Rysiecki, a spokeswoman for Cellmark Diagnostics, confirmed yesterday that Dr Walsh was on their list of doctors in Ireland.
"He would draw blood for us and send it to our laboratories for testing. We don't really recommend doctors. We have a list for when people ask where they can go to have blood taken. Often they don't like to go to their GP."
In some cases it could involve a very young child and a GP may not be used to taking blood and we would recommend a paediatrician or a haematologist," she said.
Dr Rysiecki said Cellmark, a UK company which carries out paternity tests, was not aware of the hepatitis C controversy, or the judicial inquiry, and would prefer not to comment on it. "All Dr Walsh is doing is putting a sterile needle into the vein and removing blood," she said, adding that he then labels it and sends it to them.
Mr Dunbar, of the BTSB, said yesterday that he was "at a loss" as to how the BTSB had been listed as offering a blood and tissue type testing service in the current edition of the Irish Medical Directory.
Paternity testing had been carried out at the blood bank until 1984, he said. Then it was transferred to the private company which had been set up by the BTSB employees with Dr Walsh acting as a consultant.
As far as the board of the BTSB was concerned, said Mr Dunbar, the two employees are not in breach of their contract the board is not in a position to stop them as long as it does not interfere with their work.
He said that in 1991 Dr Walsh wrote to the then CEO, Mr Ted Keyes, asking if he could do some of the testing at Pelican House because he "found it difficult to get out to the clinic".
"But the board came to the firm conclusion that this was a private operation and they did not want the board's premises or facilities to be used," said Mr Dunbar.