Bureaucratic bungling must stop

THE issue of tainted blood was the greatest bureaucratic scandal of the 20th century in Ireland. It has already involved more than 75 premature deaths. That total is likely to increase to more than €200.

The repercussions from the affair have been enormous and continue with no sign of abating.

In 1989 it led to the fall of Charles Haughey's government. Michael Noonan's handling of the Brigid McCole affair hurt his career, even though he was exonerated by the Finlay Tribunal of all the charges made against him.

The saga has been a catalogue of bureaucratic and political bungling. We know the victims, but the culprits have not been identified.

Indeed, they may never be identified, because the Finlay Tribunal shed little light on that part of the story.

The Finlay report was critical of all governments and Ministers for Health going back to 1975, because they failed to provide appropriate resources for the National Drugs Advisory Board and did not supervise it in the exercise of its functions.

The Finlay Tribunal was followed by the Lindsay Tribunal, at which there was some horrific testimony. This further roused public indignation.

But tribunals are not established to adjudicate on

culpability. If the Lindsay Report, which is due out in the coming weeks, follows on the lines of other tribunal reports, it could lead to more public confusion than clarity.

Now there are calls for another blood-related tribunal this time investigating the spat involving Dr Joan Power, Munster regional director of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS).

She charged this week on RTÉ's Prime Time that a senior official threatened to "bury her" professionally because she blew the whistle on the board's failure to notify 28 blood donors that screening tests indicated they had contracted hepatitis C.

Dr Power admitted her own role and apologised to the women affected. This may afford her stance moral authority against those who have been unwilling to accept, or acknowledge, any responsibility.

After she testified before the Finlay Tribunal she said there was so much tension between the Cork and Dublin offices of the blood board her professional life became "an absolute nightmare".

Her admissions were apparently exploited as a sign of weakness by some of her colleagues and officials at the Department of Health.

What has been happening seems to have the hallmark of a bureaucratic turf war, as the Cork office was clearly downgraded.

The scandal previously highlighted the importance of ensuring the Blood Board is properly run, with the result that this latest controversy certainly does not inspire confidence. The bureaucratic bungling at the blood service over the years has been as tainted as some of the blood. This must stop.