Serious Patient Safety Concern Results In Multiple Organisations Calling On The Government To Act Urgently

The ongoing harm to patients undergoing uro-gynaecological surgical mesh procedures has been reported on for a decade in New Zealand. Serious concerns have been raised about the significant injuries sustained. Many lives have been destroyed but efforts by the Government to reduce this harm have failed.

The fact that these injuries can be so severe, that harm is continuing to occur, and that it has now emerged that many surgeons are not even collecting patient outcome data on these surgeries, has led the Consumer Advocacy Alliance (CAA), Cartwright Collective (CC), Auckland Women’s Health Council (AWHC), and the Federation of Women’s Health Councils (FWHC) to come together support Sally Walkers petition to suspend these procedures.

Sue Claridge (AWHC) is adamant, “it is now time for the Government to step up, and follow other countries and do what they should have done years ago: put patient safety first and implement a suspension once and for all”

Sally Walker, a mesh injured woman, is one of a number of women whose stories have been the subject of articles in the New Zealand Herald ‘It’s All in Her Head’ campaign. Walker recently submitted a petition to Parliament which is urging the Government to take urgent action to suspend vaginally-inserted mesh sling procedures. Four years ago, these same procedures were suspended in the UK, and permanently banned in Scotland.

Consumer Advocacy Alliance spokesperson, Charlotte Korte is disappointed with the recent statement from Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall when she spoke to the New Zealand Herald on 19.8.22. Verrall said the government has “undertaken steps to ensure past wrongs are rectified, including an apology by ACC, as well as changes to ACC's processes."

Korte does not believe Ayesha Verrall’s comment accurately describes the situation, asking “where is the apology from the Government for allowing the harm to continue? ACC have apologised, and yes there may be a few more who have had their claim accepted, but the fight only just begins once your claim has been accepted; in fact, it is much harder now dealing with ACC than it ever was. How does setting up mesh specialist centres help to rectify the problem if you are still implanting mesh?”

Korte says “although some women have had no issues with mesh, I am in contact every day with New Zealander’s who have had their lives utterly destroyed by these procedures, the harm is significant and it is not just historical, it is recent. Our most experienced surgeons who were already assessed against Australian surgical mesh credentialing guidelines in 2018 have caused harm, and continue to do so. Alongside a mesh suspension, the UK implemented high vigilance scrutiny over non-mesh uro-gynaecological procedures. “Now that we are seeing a rise in adverse events due to surgeons in New Zealand not being trained in mesh free procedures, strict monitoring is essential, we need to follow the UK’s example”, says Korte

On several occasions the Government has said they are taking the mesh issue seriously, but this contradicts Health Minister Andrew Little, who confirmed in a written question that the Ministry of Health could not provide any information on how many had been diagnosed with pelvic mesh related complications in the last five years because “historically it has not been reported to, or recorded by, the Ministry of Health”. Little concludes “the time, and the expense, of answering the Member’s question is not in the public interest.”

Sandra Coney (CC) knows all too well of the impact when such serious health issues have not been addressed properly, the unprecedented Cartwright Inquiry findings led to fundamental changes being made to health consumers’ rights, including the right to informed consent in law. Coney agrees “It is distressing to see such significant harm still occurring. Clearly women are not being warned of the risks and the Ministry of Health needs to prohibit the insertion of mesh products in women’s bodies. There is still inadequate regulation of medical devices three decades after similar harm to women from certain IUDs.”

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