Sally Walker, who lodged the petition to pause the use of surgical mesh for SUI. Photo / Dean Purcell
Sally Walker, who lodged the petition to pause the use of surgical mesh for SUI. Photo / Dean Purcell
New data reveals at least 38 more women have been harmed by surgical mesh since Government officials ordered hospitals to take action to minimise the danger from these operations.
The women have received large taxpayer-funded payouts amounting to $650,000 to compensate for the harm obtained through a treatment intended tofix childbirth injuries.
Payments included funds for further medical treatment, compensation for loss of wages or salary and rehabilitation to help them regain independence, an ACC spokesperson said.
The widespread harm comes nearly four years after the Ministry of Health's then chief medical officer Dr Andrew Simpson wrote a letter to all hospitals ordering them to ensure surgeons using mesh were appropriately skilled to perform these operations.
The total number of women harmed since that Government intervention, in October 2018, is expected to be higher than 38, as an ACC spokesperson said not all claims included the date of operation and those that didn't were left out of the dataset provided.
Also, many women don't experience surgical mesh complications until several years after surgery and some don't know they are entitled to lodge an ACC treatment injury claim.
The Herald has been covering mesh failures as part of its In Her Head investigation, which is aimed at bettering women's healthcare in New Zealand.
These failures have included women who say they have been living on morphine, become suicidal from "razor blade" pain and one who had her bladder removed and vagina sewn closed due to the damage caused by the medical device being implanted incorrectly.
The medical device, made of woven plastic, is used by surgeons to treat women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) - common childbirth injuries.
While surgical mesh can be used to treat other parts of the body, including on men, it has frequently been reported to cause harm during women's pelvic operations, particularly when inserted through the vagina.
This month, public pressure has been growing to put a pause on the use of surgical mesh to treat SUI, as the UK did four years ago. Britain is yet to lift the suspension as medical authorities couldn't guarantee its safety.
Of the 38 women recorded to have been harmed since October 2018, less than four had their claim approved in 2019, 12 in 2020, 13 in 2021 and so far there has been 12 more this year.
One of these women is a 35-year-old Taranaki mum-of-two who described to the Herald the mesh feeling like a grater rubbing against raw wounds inside her vagina.
Her surgeon implanted mesh inside of her in July last year, she said, without her informed consent.
"It makes me incredibly angry," the Taranaki mum-of-two told the Herald.
"I mentioned my hesitancy to mesh throughout this whole process and two separate doctors assured me this wasn't something to be concerned about."
Now, she has been left unable to have sex with her husband or run around her with her young kids.
Kristen Donnell, now 59, is another woman who was left crippled after a second piece of surgical mesh was implanted inside of her.
"I was really sore and the pain just got worse and worse ... everyone just chose to ignore it. I told [my surgeon] and [they] just said to take pain relief," she said.
Both women are working with Sally Walker, who lodged the petition to pause the use of surgical mesh for SUI. Walker, 73, told her story to the Herald in June, describing her insides being so badly damaged by the medical device that her bladder had to be removed and her vagina sewn closed.
"If I can help other women to not have to suffer like I have then I feel like my journey has been worth it," Walker said.
Health and Disability Commissioner Morag McDowell told the Herald last week she remained concerned about inconsistency in informed consent and regulatory issues including credentialing and training of surgeons.
"I believe there is a collective responsibility to work together to address these issues, and will continue to closely monitor progress of recommendations made as a result of the restorative justice report. I encourage anyone with concerns about their experience with surgical mesh to contact my office."
Associate Minister Ayesha Verrall says all women should feel heard. Photo / File
Last week, the Herald asked Associate Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall if she was confident women were no longer being harmed by surgical mesh.
She didn't answer directly and instead said: "The Government has taken this issue seriously and already undertaken steps to ensure past wrongs are rectified, including an apology by ACC, as well as changes to ACC's processes."
The Minister said she was aware of the petition and surgical mesh was an issue which had affected many people and undeniably caused harm.
"Where care isn't to an acceptable standard, they've been treated unfairly or harm has occurred, they have the right to be heard," she said.
READ MORE STORIES FROM OUR IN HER HEAD PROJECT
In Her Head is a Herald campaign for better women's health services. Health reporter Emma Russell investigates what's wrong with our current system and talks to wāhine who have been made to feel their serious illness is a figment of their imagination or "just part of being a woman".
