South Australian Government apologises to mesh injured women
South Australian Health Minister Chris Picton today in Parliament acknowledged the life-altering complications for many women and some men across Australia from pelvic mesh procedures.
A public apology on behalf of the South Australian Government was a recommendation of a parliamentary inquiry, which examined the harm caused by pelvic mesh implants.
The inquiry heard from many mesh-injured women and their families, finding that the damage caused by failed mesh devices was likely to be more widespread than it was thought to be by the health system and medical profession. It also provided recommendations to improve services available to those affected.
Surgical mesh implants have been used in various forms for more than 50 years. Originally developed to treat hernias, they were later adapted for pelvic floor disorders, including stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.
Stress urinary incontinence is a common condition with nearly half of all women who have delivered a child experiencing some degree of pelvic floor dysfunction. Around one in five of these women will require surgery.
Some implants were banned in 2017 and a Senate inquiry in 2018 found women who were suffering after having the mesh inserted were “ignored” and “treated appallingly”. Manufacturer Johnson and Johnson and its subsidiary were found in a class action lawsuit to have misled both patients and doctors about the safety and efficacy of nine transvaginal mesh products.
7 News cover the story
