Failure to compensate pelvic mesh implant victims ‘morally unacceptable’, say campaigners | Vaginal mesh implants

The Government’s failure to respond to calls for a compensation scheme for women injured by pelvic mesh has been branded “morally unacceptable” by campaigners.

Thousands of women have faced life-changing complications after receiving transvaginal mesh implants, with some unable to walk or work again.

On Saturday it will be two years since financial redress plans for women harmed by pelvic implants were presented by England’s Patient Safety Commissioner, Dr Henrietta Hughes.

However, ministers did not commit to compensating women harmed by the medical scandal. The plans, outlined in the 2024 Hughes report, included compensation for children who became disabled because their mothers used the epilepsy drug sodium valproate during pregnancy.

The government recently admitted that there is still no timetable for compensating victims affected by pelvic mesh and valproate. Hughes has now pledged to take the matter directly to the Prime Minister.

Campaigners said the government’s lack of action was worsening the mental health of those affected by the scandals.

Kath Sansom, founder of the advocacy group Sling the Mesh, said: “As each week, month, year goes by, women become more and more frustrated and upset. You can’t put their pain on hold. Many of them have had to give up their jobs or reduce their hours. They’re struggling to make ends meet. We have some members, they’ve had to sell their homes and move in with elderly parents, marriages have broken down…

“We see these women at three o’clock in the morning trying to post a message saying, ‘I don’t want to be here anymore’… I’m so angry that these women are having their lives ruined and no one is taking responsibility by giving them compensation… it’s morally unacceptable.

For years, pelvic mesh has been considered the gold standard for stress incontinence and prolapse in women, conditions that can occur after childbirth or as menopause approaches. “None of us were warned of the risks. We were all told this was standard surgery,” Sansom said.

Surgery to remove the mesh can cause serious complications, including organ damage, heavy bleeding, serious infections and clots in the legs and lungs, with surgeons having likened the procedure to removing chewing gum from hair.

The Hughes report was commissioned directly in response to the First Do No Harm study led by Julia Cumberlege, which presented nine recommendations to bring justice to women harmed by pelvic mesh, the epilepsy drug sodium valproate, and the hormonal pregnancy test Primodos.

Labor MP Sharon Hodgson, whose mother suffered debilitating pain and constant infections after having a pelvic mesh implant, described the government’s inaction as “insulting”.

“No government response to the Hughes report, two long years after its publication, is insulting to the thousands of women and children who were victims of the net and valproate. This is more than just a response to a report; it is restorative justice.”

Hodgson, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group First Do No Harm, added: “All these women and their families were all lit. They were all told it was all in their heads: ‘There’s nothing wrong with you.’ And women who have children damaged by valproate, once again, they [doctors] said, “Oh, this medicine is safe. » So they spent years being enlightened.

“This compensation would say loud and clear that this wasn’t all in your head. It wasn’t your fault. And what happened was wrong.”

Hughes said: “These are not abstract political issues; they are about real people whose lives have been fundamentally changed by systemic failures in health care. Each month of delay compounds the injustice these patients have already endured.

“I will speak directly to No 10 to obtain the commitment to action which has been lacking for two years.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “We recognize the significant impact that sodium valproate and pelvic mesh has had on individuals and their families.

“This is a complex issue and our priority is to ensure that any response is fair, balanced and sensitive to those affected. We are carefully considering the recommendations of the Hughes report, working with relevant departments, and aim to provide an update in due course.”