New criteria for surgeons of mesh ops

New Zealand hospitals will need to guarantee their surgeons have specialist credentials to perform controversial transvaginal mesh procedures, the Ministry of Health says.

In a letter to district health boards (DHBs) and surgical colleges on Monday, director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield asked that surgeons be required to have specific specialist qualifications and experience in either urology or gynaecology, and a minimum of 10 procedures every year.

Patient advocates have been calling for protections from surgical mesh harm for the past decade after thousands of women worldwide suffered life-changing complications, such as severe pain, mesh erosion, infection and nerve damage.

In the letter, DHBs were asked to ‘‘ensure rigorous informed consent processes that include understanding of the associated risks’’.

‘‘If you are not satisfied that your services or surgeons meet these standards, surgeries involving surgical mesh should not take place,’’ Bloomfield’s letter said.

Surgical mesh is used to treat pelvic organ prolapse, stress urinary incontinence and hernias.

An August Medsafe update showed 627 adverse event reports have been received for stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse procedures with transvaginal mesh. In the same period, 394 adverse event reports for hernia procedures were lodged.

Acting Associate Health Minister James Shaw said too many women had experienced harm as a result of surgical mesh. DHBs were to stop using surgical mesh in urogynaecological surgery unless they could guarantee surgical standards and ‘‘robust’’ informed consent processes were being met.

The ministry action comes just months after the UK Government ordered an immediate suspension on the use of vaginal mesh implants.

Advocate Charlotte Korte, of Mesh Down Under, said she was disappointed the Government had not followed the UK by suspending the use of mesh until better protections were in place.

Under existing legislation, the ministry has no authority to make DHBs implement the new criteria.

A planned overhaul of the Therapeutic Products Act, in which the issue could be addressed, had failed to materialise. A draft was originally due in 2017. The proposed bill was expected to be released for public consultation later this year, a Ministry of Health spokesman said.