Members of the haemophilia community yesterday expressed disappointment at the report of the Lindsay tribunal, describing it as "weak" and limited in its scope.
A haemophiliac infected with HIV and hepatitis C who gave evidence to the tribunal under the pseudonym Damien told The Irish Times last night he felt the chairwoman avoided answering the most difficult questions.
"She says mistakes were made but doesn't say why," he said. "I was particularly disappointed that all the evidence and research on the financial side (suggesting profit was put ahead of safety) was more or less dismissed with very little explanation."
The daughter of a haemophiliac who died from AIDS through an infected product imported from the US criticised the report for "holding no one accountable".
Ms Linda Dowling, a Dubliner whose father, Joe, was diagnosed with HIV in 1985, a number of years after he started receiving commercial concentrate for the treatment of his blood disorder, restated her view, given in testimony at the tribunal, that it would be flawed without investigating the role of overseas drugs companies in the infections.
"I was shouted down at the tribunal," she said. "I got the feeling they did not want me in there. They weren't interested in hearing about pharmaceutical companies. But the buck stops with them."
The Irish Haemophilia Society is pushing for the establishment of a fresh inquiry into the role of such companies, from which the Blood Transfusion Service Board (BTSB) sourced most of its products for the treatment of haemophiliacs.
The tribunal heard evidence to suggest certain firms manufactured products from blood donated by people identified as being at high-risk of viral transmission in contravention of safety guidelines. The Minister for Health and Children, Mr Martin, reaffirmed his commitment this week to an inquiry into the US angle.
However, Ms Dowling said: "I don't think there is the motivation to look into the companies."
Of the apology to victims by the IBTS, as the BTSB is now known, Ms Dowling said it had brought little comfort. "My mother passed away last summer. The Minister's apology came after that, and now, eventually, the blood bank. But for both my parents, the apologies have come too late."
Describing the report as "very weak", Damien said the tribunal had been, nonetheless, worthwhile.
The Irish Haemophilia Society has sent a copy of the report to all its members, for whom it has arranged a meeting next week. The society's administrator, Ms Rosemary Daly, said it was also discussing with its legal advisers the question of whether the report should be referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Judge Alison Lindsay said she felt it would be inappropriate to make such a recommendation. However, it is open to the DPP to take action if he so wishes. The report of the Finlay tribunal, which primarily investigated women infected with hepatitis C through Anti-D, was referred to the DPP, which in turn decided not to pursue a case.
Yesterday, however, the Garda said a criminal investigation had not yet been closed. It was subject to "correspondence between the investigating team and the DPP".
