Hepatitis C scandal -Lessons must be learned

WITH the publication of the findings of the Lindsay Tribunal, and the recommendations it contains, hopefully one of the most shameful episodes in the history of the State will be finally concluded — except for one issue.

While the Irish Haemophilia Society has welcomed the report, the question must be asked why, with 79 deaths resulting from the negligence of a State agency, that none of the findings has led to referral to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The chairwoman of the inquiry did not feel this corollary would be appropriate.

But it is inconceivable that so many people died through the culpability of the system in a vital area of the health service, and yet no one, or several individuals, is being held to account.

Yesterday, after more than two years investigating how 252 haemophiliacs contracted HIV and hepatitis C from infected blood products, Judge Alison Lindsay's report was finalised.

But the human tragedy and suffering which predicated this tribunal, pre-dates the formal inquiry into the causes by considerably more than a decade.

Infected products led to the deaths of 79 people and during the inquiry itself six of them died.

The Blood Transfusion Service Board has come in for criticism because of its serious failure in relation to one of its products, and so has the Department of Health for its failure in policing the board.

That was anticipated, and the most positive outcome at the moment is that the Minister for Health Mícheál Martin has promised the recommendations produced by Judge Lindsay will be implemented.

Possibly, one other positive is that the minister is considering the question of another inquiry which would examine the role of pharmaceutical companies which supplied imported products which infected the majority of haemophiliacs.

That is an aspect of this disgraceful debacle that visited so much tragedy, grief and heartbreak on so many families which cannot escape public scrutiny.

The BTSB has accepted the findings of the Lindsay report and along with an apology, has pledged to learn from such serious mistakes of the past.

In fact, this entire tragedy has lessons for the health service generally and especially for those professionals charged with the care of patients.

One of the most salient lessons is the patient's right to know about a condition which has been detected.

And while that would appear to the lay person, to be a fundamental one, sadly, it was one of the serious flaws of how people were treated in the past in this instance.