By
Marion Scott
THE health
spokesman says the Government must act now to end the devastating injuries and
enduring agony suffered by hundreds of Scots women.
Mesh victim
Caroline Tait outside Scottish Parliament
LABOUR'S health spokesman Andy Burnham has
accused the Government of failing women living in agony because of mesh
implants.
He
criticised SNP health secretary Alex Neil over his refusal to suspend the use
of the controversial treatments.
It follows
a Sunday Mail campaign which has highlighted devastating injuries and enduring
agony suffered by hundreds
of Scots women.
Burnham
said: “The evidence from
health boards is shocking and clearly shows thousands of women have been
affected by these products which can have life-altering consequences.
“Some of the cases revealed by the Sunday Mail
are heart-breaking when what should be a simple procedure has left women
disabled.
“I’m
surprised by the lack of
action or leadership being shown by the Scottish Government.”
Burnham
backs Scotland’s shadow health secretary Neil Findlay who has called on Alex
Neil to suspend the use of
mesh until an inquiry can properly assess the scale of the scandal.
Pressure on Neil is growing after a US
court decision found one of the most widely used vaginal mesh implants,
produced by Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Ethicon, was defective. (Batiste v. McNabb/J&J Ethicon in
Dallas, TX)
Findlay
said: “After the US ruling, Alex Neil should have suspended the use of mesh in
Scotland and instructed health boards to
contact every woman given this implant to check whether
they are experiencing any problems.”
Hundreds of thousands of women around the world
have reported injuries inflicted by mesh eroding in their bodies.
Many have faced a series of ops as surgeons
struggle in vain to remove the mesh used to treat prolapse and bowel conditions.
American
courts have already awarded damages of millions of pounds to the victims.
More than
400 cases are lodged in Scotland. The Scottish Government said: “We continue to
work with professional organisations to improve
reporting and monitoring of
procedures using mesh.”
Johnson
& Johnson are considering appealing last month’s judgment that their TVT-O
device was defective.
Spokeswoman
Lucinda Macari said: “The verdict is disappointing and we believe we have
strong grounds for an appeal.”
Leslie
McGlinchey, 33, of Drumchapel, Glasgow, who was forced to use a wheelchair
after a mesh implant three years ago, said: “Politicians continue to ignore
this scandal at their peril.
“When
things go wrong, the damage is so devastating, it affects whole families.
“We’re
calling on everyone to sign our petition and get this stuff out of our
hospitals.”
The Hear
Our Voice petition closes on Wednesday.
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