‘MESH IMPLANT RUINED MAM’S LIFE’
MP demands patient safety is never ‘swept under the carpet again’
A Sunderland MP has told ministers in the House of Commons how a botched operation “ruined” her mum’s life.
Washington and Sunderland West MP Sharon Hodgson told the House how her mum’s life was “ruined” by a vaginal mesh implant procedure.
The MP called on the Government to accept all the recommendations of an Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review.
She told MPs: “My mum is one of the thousands of patients who had her life and her health ruined because of this quick fix with a bit of tape.
“She was never warned of the damage that this plastic mesh could do to her body.”
The review, chaired by Baroness Cumberlege, has examined how the healthcare system in England responds to reports about harmful side effects from medicines and medical devices – in particular pelvic mesh implants and hormone pregnancy tests.
It was launched after patient-led campaigns and looked into how the health system responds to reports from patients about harmful side effects from medicines and medical devices.
The research – published yesterday – recommends the Government immediately apologise on behalf of the healthcare system to the families affected by such treatments.
It also calls for the appointment of a patient safety commissioner and a central database to collect key details of the implantation of all devices.
Mrs Hodgson, a former Shadow Minister for Public Health, has been working with and supporting patients and campaign groups on these issues for many years.
She said: “I have heard of the devastating and heartbreaking affects mesh, Primodos and sodium valproate have had on patients and their families, and I know first-hand the impact mesh has had on patients.
“Patients and their families have fought tirelessly for years to get the recognition and acknowledgement they deserve thanks to the publication of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review.
“I call on the Government to accept and implement all of these recommendations as a matter of urgency.
“Patient safety must never be swept under the carpet ever again.”