by TOM PETERKIN The Scotsman
June 4. 2014
Alex Neil has been pressed into action to help women whose lives have been ruined
by the painful side-effects of plastic vaginal mesh implants.
The health secretary
yesterday said he would seek an urgent meeting with the United Kingdom
regulatory body for medical devices after a group of women told Holyrood of
their suffering due to the controversial treatment.
Members of
pressure group Scottish
Mesh Survivors – Hear Our Voice have presented a petition to the
Scottish Parliament urging treatment be suspended.
Polypropylene
mesh medical devices are implanted in women who experience bladder and prolapse
problems, typically after pregnancy.
Appearing in
front of Holyrood’s petitions committee, sufferers told MSPs (Ministers of
Scottish Parliament) their lives had been blighted after having the implant.
Some were in tears as they spoke of severe mobility restrictions, immune system problems and damage to
internal organs caused by the mesh or tape implanted in the pelvis.
There were reports of the mesh becoming infected and
contracting – cutting through organs “like cheesewire” – and the extreme
difficulty in removing the material safely.
Despite a
campaign to have the procedures suspended until a full investigation is carried
out, sufferers say
government ministers are passing the buck.
Elaine Holmes,
49, from Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire, had an implant to treat a leaky
bladder in February 2011. Since then she has had four operations to remove the
mesh.
“Too many women
in Scotland are being hurt on a daily basis while we wait on the slow-moving
wheels of Westminster to turn,” she said. “We already have the legal powers
needed to make a difference in Scotland, today. The rest of the UK can follow
suit, but let us lead the way.
“We have been
told that regulation and safety is an issue for the European Commission. But we
would contend that the current EU system is not working and if our First Minister shows
political willingness to intercede over fishing quotas, he can surely show
political willingness to intercede over something which is having such a
detrimental effect on human life.”
MSPs requested
that the health secretary and deputy Michael Matheson, the public health minister,
appear before the petitions committee to give evidence on the Scottish
Government’s position.
Yesterday, Mr
Neil wrote to the Medicines
and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). He called on the MHRA
to reach a swift conclusion to
ensure that no further women suffered
complications as a result of having the implant.
He said: “I met
with some of the women affected and I am clear that no-one else should have to go through the suffering
they have experienced.”
The
Scottish Government has written to all GPs to ensure they make patients who may
be considering this treatment aware of the potential side-effects.
Labour’s health
spokesman, Neil Findlay, said: “The ball is firmly in the court of the
government and I hope they finally take note of the evidence presented by the
women.”
An MHRA
spokesperson said the body would be happy to meet Mr Neil: “We listened to and
understand the concerns many women have about vaginal tapes and meshes.
“The evidence currently available
indicates that the benefits continue to outweigh the risks and can help in
dealing with upsetting conditions such as urinary stress incontinence and
pelvic organ prolapse.”
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