FM urged to intervene to ensure vaginal mesh patient gets surgery
The First Minister has been urged to intervene to help a woman who needs urgent surgery to prevent her from losing her bladder and bowel as a result of vaginal mesh.
Labour MSP Neil Findlay asked Nicola Sturgeon to step in and help Claire Daisley, telling MSPs the Greenock woman could lose the organs if she does not have a full mesh removal procedure carried out within the next two months.
Ms Sturgeon said she would instruct Health Secretary Jeane Freeman to ensure that everything possible was being done “for that individual”.
The First Minister told him: “I will obviously not clinically intervene in any individual case but I will undertake to have the Health Secretary look into the case.”
She made the commitment after Mr Findlay raised the plight of women who have been left with debilitating medical problems after vaginal mesh was used to treat problems that resulted from pregnancy and childbirth.
Today I raised with the First Minister the issue of how mesh injured women like @DaisClaire are being badly let down – she said the Govt would look at any case brought forward by mesh injured women not getting – @waelagur@ladymcbeth2 can you help these women to come forward
— Neil Findlay MSP (@NeilFindlay_MSP) May 9, 2019
The Lothian MSP said: “This week I have been contacted by constituents who are victims of mesh who do not want to be named.
“They have raised with me the issue of women being directed to so-called centres of excellence in Edinburgh and Glasgow for treatment, where many have received partial mesh removal, producing very poor and debilitating results.
“The belief is that clinicians at these centres do not have the required skill set to carry out full mesh removal using the latest techniques.”
He added: “One woman, who is not my constituent, who has broken her anonymity is Claire Daisley, who will lose her bowel and bladder if she doesn’t get a full mesh removal within the next two months.”
Pressing Ms Sturgeon at First Minister’s Questions, he continued: “Will the First Minister personally intervene in Claire’s case to ensure she gets the treatment she deserves and will she halt partial mesh removal at these centres until a full appraisal is carried out?”
As well as vowing to have the Health Secretary look into the case, Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish Government would help if any women wanted to speak to Ms Freeman about complications arising from the use of mesh in confidence.
The First Minister said: “I understand why some women would want to retain anonymity and privacy but if there are any individual women who Neil Findlay is aware of who want confidentially to speak to the Health Secretary or health officials we would be very happy and very keen to facilitate that on the assurance of protecting the privacy and anonymity of them.”
