Medical colleagues of Dr Vincent Barry, the former chief medical consultant of the Blood Transfusion Service Board (BTSB) had been "very hurt" when he accepted the post in January 1986 and did not speak to him in the corridors of Pelican House, Dr Barry told the tribunal yesterday.
Dr Barry said he had also been slighted by the board's senior technical officer, Mr Sean Hanratty, shortly after taking up his appointment. Mr Hanratty had nominated him as chairman of the National Haemophilia Services Co-ordinating Committee in May 1986, knowing he did not have any experience of blood products and that the committee concerned itself, among other things, with the selection of blood products for haemophiliacs.
The tribunal also heard that minutes of a meeting showed Prof Ian Temperley, former director of the National Haemophilia Treatment Centre, had been put forward for the position, and was supported by Dr Barry when Mr Hanratty had proposed Dr Barry's name. On his second day in the witness box, Dr Barry said Mr Hanratty had not told him he intended to propose him for the position.
Mr John Trainor SC, for the Irish Haemophilia Society, suggested to Dr Barry this had been "an extraordinary slight" on him in front of his peers.
"Absolutely", Dr Barry replied.
The minutes of the meeting recorded that Dr Barry had prevented his name going forward "due to pressure of other commitments". But yesterday he admitted under cross-examination that this was not the real reason. He knew he did not have the necessary expertise for the position. He said there was no way he would have allowed his name go forward for the chairmanship in opposition to Prof Temperley.
"Without putting a tooth in it, this seems to have been an extraordinary insult to a person of your standing in front of your peers," Mr Trainor said.
Dr Barry said it was but could not recollect if he had been annoyed.
Earlier, Dr Barry said he had been criticised for taking up the position of chief medical consultant with the BTSB by his medical colleagues, with whom he had been very friendly. He had been offered the job by the former BTSB director, Dr Jack O'Riordan, before Dr O'Riordan retired. "After all, there were 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 Dr Terry Walsh, who will be next in the witness box.
Dr Barry had been regional director of the Cork centre of the BTSB for 10 years when he was offered the post. He said he did not get any additional pay during his term as chief medical consultant.
Asked by Mr Trainor for a practical manifestation of the ill feeling felt by colleagues, he said they did not speak with him when they met on the corridors.