The "terrible truama" of the father of a boy who died of AIDS after receiving a blood clotting agent in August 1984 was referred to by the chairwoman, Judge Alison Lindsay.
The father, Mr Raymond Kelly, from Shankill, Co Dublin, has been attending the public sittings of the tribunal and was present when the BTSB's deputy medical director, Dr Emer Lawlor, stated that said it would have made little difference whether the BTSB withdrew imported clotting agents in 1993. At least 85 per cent of haemophiliacs who were infected with HIV had already contracted the virus by early 1983.
Counsel for the Irish Haemophilia Society, Mr John Trainor SC, said Mr Kelly had given evidence that his son, John, did not receive imported clotting agent until August 1984. He died in 1994. "If the board took a different view his son might be alive today."
Dr Lawlor said she had not seen the boy's medical records and could not comment. Her counsel, Mr Frank Clarke SC, said the IHS had denied her access to them.
Judge Lindsay said she could understand Mr Kelly's terrible trauma but Dr Lawlor could not answer the question without seeing the records.
Mr Trainor added that Dr Lawlor's evidence that 85 per cent of haemophiliacs were infected by 1983 was "surprising" as Prof Ian Temperley, former director of the National Haemophilia Treatment Centre, would say that 58 per cent were HIV positive at the end of 1983.
Dr Lawlor said this was a very complex evaluation and she would need to see the documents on which the figures were based.
Mr Trainor asked Dr Lawlor if she was aware that timely action taken in Northern Ireland in October 1983, meant only 16 of its 126 haemophiliacs ended up HIV positive. Dr Lawlor said she believed this was because they used European blood products.
Later counsel asked Dr Lawlor to stop saying the actions of the BTSB in 1993 made little difference as there were people in the public gallery who found this very offensive. Judge Lindsay said it was a matter for her to make such requests.