A Senate inquiry into transvaginal mesh and related matters is currently under way. On 15 February, 2017 the Senate referred the matter to the Senate Community Affairs References Committee for inquiry and report.

The Senate inquiry is a direct result of the effective campaigning and determination of both the mesh support groups and Senator Derryn Hinch, who has compared the use of pelvic mesh as a scandal on the scale of the use of thalidomide in the 1950s and 1960s.

The following issues will be addressed by the Senate Committee:

1. The number of women in Australia who have had transvaginal mesh implants and who have suffered an adverse reaction
2. Adequacy of information provided to women prior to surgery
3. Adequacy of information provided to doctors regarding transvaginal mesh implants
4. Any financial or other incentives provided to medical practitioners to use or promote transvaginal mesh implants.
5. The types of health problems experienced by women with transvaginal mesh implants
6. The role of the regulator, Therapeutic Goods Administration, in the administration of the pelvic mesh products
7. Options available to women to have transvaginal mesh removed

It is hoped that the inquiry will recommend legislative reforms that will prevent catastrophic outcomes for women in the future. For women who have already faced the aftermath of pelvic mesh surgery. There are various legal options available.

At Catherine Henry Lawyers, our health lawyers have successfully run a number of claims involving mesh implants over the last five years and we are receiving an increasing number of enquiries.

We believe that many women were not given adequate information prior to agreeing to pelvic mesh surgery. The consequences of lack of information has had a devastating impact on these women.

Gold Walkley Award-winning journalist Joanne McCarthy has been doing a great job in bringing the issues to light for the public. Joanne has written extensively about the pelvic mesh problem since early 2015. She has also been a supportive figurehead to the many women who have suffered significantly from pelvic mesh implants. We urge you to read Joanne’s medical mesh investigation in the Newcastle Herald.