The doctor who uncovered the hepatitis C blood transfusion scandal yesterday cancelled a press conference about the delay in the provision of a new test centre after being advised that holding it would breach an Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) staff code of conduct.
Dr Joan Power, IBTS regional director in Cork, had planned to hold a press conference yesterday to highlight what she described in a letter to the transfusion service's chief executive, Andrew Kelly, as "deeply worrying evidence of highly inappropriate external interference" in the IBTS.
In 1994 Dr Power, a consultant haematologist, and her team in Cork discovered the accidental contamination of anti-D immunoglobulin at the IBTS's Dublin centre when up to 2,000 women had been exposed to hepatitis C some 17 years previously.
Among the issues Dr Power had hoped to raise at yesterday's press conference was the "appalling seven-year and ongoing delay in the development of a new Munster centre in Cork" as recommended by Mr Justice Thomas Finlay in his 1997 report on the hepatitis C scandal.
Earlier this week Dr Power issued a press statement in which she strongly criticised the conduct of the IBTS board as "outrageous", citing a climate of "abuse, abject bias, intolerance, grossly selective media leaks and totally unjust initiatives".
However, Mr Kelly wrote to Dr Power on Thursday, advising her that any contact with the media was to be routed through his office or via the IBTS communication manager.
Mr Kelly said in his letter that under the transfusion service's code of conduct for staff, all interviews relating to the services provided by IBTS should only be undertaken following approval by himself or the delegated IBTS spokesperson.
"Any deviation from this code will be a breach of the code," concluded Mr Kelly, who had opened his letter to Dr Power by saying that he had learned of her plan to hold a press conference yesterday from the national media.
Yesterday morning Dr Power issued a brief statement confirming she had cancelled her planned press conference on foot of instructions from Mr Kelly but said she hoped to reschedule it in the near future.
"There has been a slight change, and we have been seemingly instructed by the chief executive not to have the press conference today. We are deferring for a few days while we deal with this and we are very sorry for any inconvenience caused," Dr Power said in her statement.
Asked about Dr Power's comments, an IBTS spokesman said: "We are aware that a member of staff has issued two items of internal correspondence to the media today. The IBTS has a policy of not responding to any questions concerning individual staff members."
While Dr Power was widely praised for uncovering the hepatitis C scandal in 1994, she was later criticised over a delay in informing 28 Munster patients in the early 1990s that they had tested positive for hepatitis C.
Yesterday's cancellation of Dr Power's press conference is the latest development in the continuing tense relationship between the IBTS's Munster centre and the board in Dublin and comes as the blood service is due to send a report to Minister for Health Mary Harney.
The 50-page report by independent German specialist Dr Bernard Kubanek investigated why 34 donors were not informed by the IBTS that they were infected with the hepatitis C virus, and copies are also due to be sent to people mentioned in the report in the near future.
In a letter to Dr Power in December 2004, Mr Kelly set out his concerns about her conduct as regional director. He also raised the issue of the sale of blood components by the Munster centre to commercial companies contrary to IBTS policy.