‘My brother’s excruciating death was not even mentioned’
John was one of the 79 haemophiliacs who died as a result of receiving infected blood products. He died in excruciating pain, but that was not detailed in the report.
The personal testimony of 64 haemophiliacs and/or their relatives was distilled down to just four of the 578 pages.
John’s brother, Peter, was one of about 25 people directly affected by the blood contamination crisis who sat in the Dáil’s public gallery to hear the opening of the two-day debate on the report.
John, from Wexford town, died of an AIDS-related illness in 1994. He was 34 years old.
Peter is glad the report will soon be on its way to the DPP. He is also hoping Health Minister Micháel Martin will go one step further and have the role of the international drug firms investigated.
“Even if the Government does its best to protect its citizens in trying to find out what happened and fails, that’s fair enough. At least they will have tried their best to do the right thing,” he said yesterday.
John, who was managing director of his family’s firm, Celtic Linen in Wexford, knew he had HIV since 1987.
Before he died he submitted a statement to a solicitor in case there would ever be a tribunal established to investigate how people like him were infected with HIV and hepatitis C.
His statement was read out to the Lindsay Tribunal, and his sister, Anita Geoghegan, gave personal testimony on his behalf.
Peter said he was disgusted with the Lindsay Report because it was so weak and failed to point the finger at those responsible.
“It’s not that I am intent on having the finger pointed at anyone, but their must be culpability for people’s action so this never happens again.”
In contrast, the Flood Report was strong because tribunal chairperson, Mr Justice Flood, was intent on getting all the available evidence.
Peter said his brother was a good example of how his brother’s body was ravaged by infections that he contracted from contaminated blood products. As well as having HIV, he had hepatitis A, B and C. “John died from meningeal encephalitis that attacks the brain’s membrane. During his last days, every single nerve ending was in pain because of the mixed up messages going to his brain,” he said.
Peter said John could not be touched as he lay dying because he was in agony.
“And yet the impression I got from the Lindsay Report was that what happened to John was going to happen to him anyway. That it was all terribly unfortunate but they were not going to go after anyone.”
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