First-off this morning, a story, repeated throughout the morning, which does not feature on the BBC Scotland website or on the BBC Health website or on the front pages of any of the 12 newspapers featured on the BBC Scotland site.
The women have not yet protested. They ‘are protesting later in Glasgow at ongoing delays to their treatment. The women say they’re having to be assessed in Glasgow for follow-up surgery.’
Isn’t that normal? Imagine they were not assessed and something went wrong? Imagine Anas Sarwar shouting the name of the sufferer at Nicola, everywhere he could, unconvincingly pretending empathy.
Then we get to see the women protesting in Edinburgh last July and some scary looking implements.
I’m not doubting the suffering and the frustration but surely the professionals involved have to be sure the private sector treatment is safe and effective?
Why is it a headline story on Reporting Scotland alone?
In March 2021:
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “These women were failed by the mesh procedure and failed by a Scottish Government that for too long turned a blind eye to their pain.”
Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said: “These women rightly feel that the charter will prevent future medical scandals and is a fitting legacy of their strong campaign. It may also help to rebuild the trust of women who were so badly let down.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said: “To make amends for their suffering the next Scottish Government should commit to their charter.
https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/mesh-survivors-charter/
So, which is feeding Reporting Scotland?
None of the above politicians nor the BBC reporters care about these women. They’re just fodder in a wider propaganda campaign.
Talking-up Scotland 
The three amigos (where’s Cole-Hammie btw?) talk about this as though its some kind of Scottish problem, when the reality is that it’s global. Moreover the procedure began to be used in the early noughties before the SNP were in govt – not that you would guess that.
It was introduced because it seemed to produce better outcomes for patients, but also because it was much more straightforward. Rather than the traditional treatment which took longer and could often result in a stay in hospital, using mesh was a 30 minute job using keyhole surgery and many patients were able to go back home the same day.
But having become the method of choice – by 2010 some 25% of prolapse procedures were done using mesh (worldwide), and claiming in short term assessments high efficacy with few complications – problems began to appear. Many of these are described as “relatively minor”, but in some cases (presumably the ladies in the reports) can be serious, including mesh exposure and erosion – when the mesh pokes through the vaginal wall or cuts through internal tissue – vaginal scarring, fistula formation, painful sex, and pelvic, back and leg pains – which sometimes dont appear till years later.
It goes without saying that the manufacturer – J&J – are disputing any claims that any problems are to do with their product. The mesh can be removed, sometimes involving little more than a few stitches afterwards, but in serious cases it can involve lengthy surgery and doctors have to also weigh up the risk of damage to nerves and nearby organs, including the bladder and bowel.
In short (and I do hope not to have put anyone off their food) this is a global situation, with many legal issues involved (thanks to J&J’s determined efforts to protect themselves) but in particular surgical issues. I can well understand the frustration of the women involved, but this seems to me a situation that is well beyond the customary “It’s Sturgeon’s fault, give yourself a shake woman”.
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