Mesh victims still wait for financial compensation

Women harmed by pelvic mesh implants are inactive waiting for authorities compensation a twelvemonth aft a major report called for urgent action.

Patient information commissioner Dr Henrietta Hughes, who made that recommendation, called it "an injustice" for the thousands of lives destroyed.

Some women were near successful imperishable pain, incapable to walk, enactment oregon person sex, aft the country to dainty incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.

The authorities says it remains "fully focused" connected however champion to enactment patients and forestall harm.

A Department of Health and Social Care authoritative said: "Our sympathies are with those affected.

"This is simply a analyzable country of enactment and Health Minister Baroness Gillian Merron met with immoderate of those affected earlier Christmas, and has committed to providing an update to the diligent information commissioner astatine the earliest opportunity."

Dr Hughes said: "It is precise disappointing that women who person suffered truthful overmuch harm are inactive waiting for redress.

"They request redress present and the authorities indispensable enactment immediately."

Pelvic mesh was considered the gold-standard attraction for incontinence and prolapse successful women for galore years, to springiness anemic oregon damaged insubstantial other support.

But the net-like implant tin erode and harden, cutting done insubstantial and causing superior pain.

The Hughes study besides called connected authorities to enactment rapidly to assistance victims of different attraction scandal, involving an epilepsy medication.

If taken during pregnancy, sodium valproate tin origin large commencement defects - but for decades, women were not decently warned astir the risks.

An estimated 20,000 children were exposed to the cause successful the womb - and galore present unrecorded with neurodevelopmental conditions, specified arsenic autism.

Joanne Cozens, whose lad Thomas has Asperger's syndrome, said she was not decently informed of the dangers earlier she became pregnant.

She is 1 of galore parents awaiting compensation and told BBC News: "Families person been struggling for decades now.

"We request justice."