Written by Vickie Veitch

� As Scotland debates the trans-vaginal mesh issue and I recover from yet another procedure from pelvic mesh-related injury in 2017 (and another Ketamine infusion to deal with the pain), I implore everyone concerned with the politics of women’s health to read and take action (see how below� ) and listen to the Scottish Parliament debate on medical harm from trans-vaginal (TV) mesh devices inflicting hundreds of thousands of women globally. Please sign our petition for healthcare compensation reform in Australia.

� It contains description after description of the lived experiences of women, like those that I hear, being a Moderator in one of our own national pelvic mesh support groups for over a thousand traumatised women (with new women joining daily because it’s still being implanted daily in this country, despite a supposed TGA “ban”(withdrawal of supply) and restrictions on its use! 

� Too many mesh injured women are left unsupported by our health, complaint and resolution systems, with few real choices for justice, affordable pain management or transparent, independent, multidisciplinary treatment and removal services in this country. 

� Women cannot be expected to go back to the same surgeons or clinics that implanted these harmful devices before ignoring their pain and requests for help. Women were told that the debilitating, life-wrecking pain was all in their heads (the same medical misogyny and medical gaslighting inflicted upon thousands of women with other disorders involving pelvic pain).

� Some women (with superhuman nerves of steel) are in lengthy, adversarial litigation battles against these surgeons to fight for their right to compensation for genuine financial losses. 

� Too many women are self-funding interstate travel and accommodation to access independent surgeons with expertise in different States/Territories, or even spending 10’s of thousands of dollars on international travel for complete independent mesh removal surgery expertise outside this country. Sometimes, these women are left to travel alone, isolated and without adequate support! 

� I hear desperate stories daily of ruined bodies, ruined lives, intimacy and broken relationships and an Australian health system that won’t take control of this issue and keeps turning a blind, slow or ignorant eye. Australia needs to do better now!

� If you care about this issue or know of someone affected, please email the contents of this update to:
1) your MP (use the link to find contact details), and
2) Mark Butler, national Minister for Health and Aged Care at: minister.butler@health.gov.au, and to 
3) Ged Kearney, the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care (political lead for the new National Women’s Health Advisory Council) at: Ged.Kearney.MP@aph.gov.au,

� Please cut and paste this update, asking for ANSWERS to the following questions: 

1. For an update on Australia’s response to the 13 Recommendations in the 2018 “Senate Community Affairs References Committee report on the Number of women in Australia who have had transvaginal mesh implants and related matters”. What are the outcomes so far against the implementation of these recommendations?

2. What is the progress against Recommendation 11 (audit of transvaginal mesh procedures undertaken and their outcomes since the introduction of transvaginal mesh devices for use in the Australian market)? If this recommendation has not been implemented in any jurisdiction, why not?

3. What are the outcomes of the TGA’s TV mesh recall or “ban” (withdrawal of supply) and restrictions of use? How have these actions measurably kept women safe? Has there been a review of the success of these TGA actions/changes to make women safer? Does the ‘medical research’ exemption (“special access pathway”) to the “banned supply” still exist? If so, why and when will this be reviewed? What are the outcomes on women of the exemption/special pathway to the “ban”? Has this exemption/special pathway made TV mesh safer or less safe for women? While we see the actual rate of complications rise with the hindsight of longer-term outcomes, when will we see a complete ban/withdrawal of supply of this harmful product? Has the TGA consulted/partnered with the women affected so that there are real system learnings to reduce repeated chances of harm, based on their consumer lived and living experience expertise? If not, why not?

4. What financial, psychological and treatment support options can women access if they’ve been affected by TV mesh regardless of where they live (rural or metro)? Has the success of these supports been reviewed? If not, why not? Can these women be fast-tracked into NDIS services? If not, why not?

5. What compensation has been provided to affected women? If the Australian government has not set up a compensation scheme for affected women, why not? Will this decision be reviewed?

6. What are the outcomes of the various class actions related to TV mesh devices? Have these class actions delivered any real outcomes for ALL affected women? How has the Australian government ensured that these class actions are fair and have reached ALL women affected in Australia? Have the (more than 15,000) women in these various class actions been able to voice their concerns about these class action outcomes? If not, why not? What is the process for their concerns to be legitimately heard and genuinely acted upon?

7. When will affected women receive real surgical treatment options that include independent expert advice on options for complete TV/pelvic mesh removal? (So they don’t have to go back to the same clinics and surgeons who injured or ignored their cries of pain in the first place?)

8. Are there enough independent trauma-informed, multi-discipline clinics in metropolitan and rural areas to meet the needs of the thousands of affected women across Australia? (Clinics that include pain specialists, women’s health physiotherapists, psychologists and social workers, as promised?). If not, why not and what is being done about this? Will we see a national, collaborative approach to these solutions so there is equity and collectively aligned effort, no matter where or how women live? Will affected women and their carers/families be consulted on their experiences of the system and their needs? If not, when will this happen?

9. What is the Australian government doing to ensure enough surgeons are adequately skilled in the safe and complete removal of TV mesh devices for the overwhelming number of women who need/want this service? What is the Australian government doing to ensure women receive alternative non-surgical treatment options (for example, vaginal pessaries for pelvic organ prolapse)?

10. Why has Australia dragged its feet on this issue and forgotten about the thousands of women who suffer daily, sometimes so badly that they cannot remember what their lives were like or ever imagine that they can thrive again? 

� Please share or act, so that we help bring to life a system on our shores that genuinely acknowledges and fixes this ongoing medical harm before we hear the same sad debate in Scotland, repeated here! 

Please sign, share or donate to our petition for fair compensation in Australia. 

Thank you for your ongoing interest and support!
Vickie and Sarah
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