Meeting of the Parliament 24 October 2023
I am speaking in the debate because, as I have previously mentioned in the chamber, I have met several of my constituents who have suffered with the horrors of transvaginal mesh. I have also spoken with and supported women who have travelled outside Scotland to have the removal procedure carried out.
Unfortunately, that highlights the extent to which the relationship has broken down between some patients and NHS Scotland when it comes to the issue of transvaginal mesh. The thought of travelling to the US to have surgery while in excruciating pain clearly will not be pleasant, yet some of our constituents have felt that they had no choice but to do that. That is why I note that the Scottish Government’s motion
“acknowledges the severe and painful complications endured by women after the implantation of transvaginal mesh and regrets that their trauma may have been exacerbated by initial service responses that doubted their lived experiences”.
Some of the most harrowing conversations that I have had as an MSP over the past 16 and a half years have been with constituents who have suffered because of transvaginal mesh. How any of those women could have been doubted is beyond me. That said, I am sure that some will welcome the fact that the Scottish Government accepts that more could and should have been done to support women who are suffering from these terrible complications.
I also welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to offer women for whom mesh removal is considered appropriate the services of a surgeon of their choice, and to allow women who have already paid privately for such surgery until 31 March 2024 to apply for reimbursement of the cost. As other members have commented, the paper-based process for getting the money back is sometimes lengthy. It is certainly not an easy process, but the fact that it exists is helping some women. Scotland is also the first country in the UK to reimburse women for private treatment that they had previously sought, which I genuinely believe is very much the right thing to do.
Hindsight is always a great thing. That said, we should always strive to ensure that we do not need to say the words “in hindsight”. Too many lives have been impacted, too many women are suffering through the use of transvaginal mesh, and too many families and friends have had to watch them suffer over the years.
Back in November 2019, the former First Minister and the former Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport met women who had experienced complications following surgery for mesh implants. Following those meetings, the then First Minister confirmed that the women would be given an opportunity to raise their concerns, and she offered them a review of their case records. It then took until 12 February 2021 for the transvaginal mesh case record review to be introduced, which reported in June this year. I accept—I am sure that other members will, too—that the Covid pandemic had a part to play in the length of time that it took for that to happen. It should have happened sooner. Women across Scotland have continued to suffer, while others who might have had the removal surgery before now have been waiting for answers. I hope that the recommendations that were published earlier this year will go some way towards answering their questions. The fact that the Scottish Parliament is again debating the subject demonstrates that it is listening. We want to ensure that women get the treatment that they need to enable them to recover.