Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 24 November 2021
I thank the cabinet secretary and the members of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee for their work in introducing the bill. More than anyone, though, I thank the women who have campaigned tirelessly on the issue. It is no exaggeration to say that the bravery that they have shown has been inspiring.
Prior to my election, I followed the issue closely, whether at Westminster or Holyrood, and I listened with concern, disbelief and anger to the accounts of those women who have suffered and continue to suffer as a result of transvaginal mesh implants. I read testimonies from the women who informed Baroness Cumberlege’s inquiry, and I found their accounts striking. They highlighted wider issues in how patients are communicated with, such as
“‘No-one is listening’—The patient voice dismissed”
and
“‘I was never told’—the failure of informed consent”.
It is therefore important to acknowledge the invaluable work of advocacy groups such as the Scottish Mesh Survivors group and the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland for their role in progressing the issue. The reports that were published by the alliance in 2019 and 2021 provided a platform for mesh survivors to collate their lived experiences and present their irrefutable findings. It is safe to say that their voice is heard loud and clear in this chamber. Indeed, listening to mesh survivors is central to today’s bill.
It has taken too long to get here, but I am pleased that the steps that have been taken to reach this point have resulted in the number of mesh surgeries in Scotland dropping from 2,267 in 2009 to the current number—no further vaginal mesh surgeries have taken place in Scotland since 2018. The Scottish Government is now seeking to continue its work in redressing the wrongs that have been suffered and rebuilding the trust that has understandably been lost.
I am thankful that today’s debate moves the conversation forward again. It is now focused on how best to expedite satisfactory resolutions for those women who are still suffering the consequences of treatment, whether they be physical or financial.
The costs in each case are substantial: they are estimated to be between £16,000 and £23,000. Those are significant sums by anyone’s standards, let alone for the women, many of whom could not afford that amount but, in desperation, absorbed a heavy financial burden in the hope of alleviating the daily agony that they endured. The bill not only aims to assist the women who still require corrective surgery to receive it in a manner with which they are comfortable; it allows for reparations, which is something that transcends political affiliation. I welcome the cross-party support for the bill.
I welcome the bill at stage 1 and the Scottish Government’s continued commitment to ensuring that every woman in need of corrective surgery due to transvaginal mesh receives it from a surgeon in whom they have full confidence. I also welcome the commitment to removing the financial burden that so many women who merely sought to take back control of their lives have been left with.
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