The final day of the 2020 hearings saw Professor Lowe complete his oral evidence which took place over three afternoon sessions.
The hearing began by focusing on hepatitis C and its testing at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. He discussed how testing took place at the Infirmary and when patients were advised of their test results for hepatitis C and also how testing for hepatitis C became a part of the routine testing at the Infirmary.
Professor Lowe was asked why, in documentation shown during his evidence, heavy alcohol use was assumed to be the cause of cirrhosis and not Non A Non B hepatitis as it was known at the time. Professor Lowe responded by saying that NANB wasn’t excluded, but in Glasgow cirrhosis was thought to be the more likely to be likely caused by alcohol or the intravenous drug problem in Glasgow.
Toward the end of his evidence Jenni Richards QC put a number of questions to Professor Lowe from Core Participants and their legal representatives. These included topics relating to the safety of SNBTS blood products, collecting data, research and the collective response of Scottish Haemophilia Clinicians provided to the Penrose Inquiry. This collective response was criticised by both Sir Brian Langstaff and Ms Richards QC as a collective response can result in one person’s recollection being influenced or distorted by another’s recollection.
For a full transcript of Professor Lowe’s evidence please visit https://www.infectedbloodinquiry.org.uk/evidence where you can read the transcript or watch the evidence via YouTube video.