International Mesh Awareness Day

That the Parliament recognises that 1 May 2020 is International Mesh Awareness Day, which marks the beginning of International Mesh Awareness Month; understands that the awareness month provides an opportunity to remember people who have been fitted with a mesh implant in order to treat urinary stress incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse, and have consequently suffered debilitating and life-altering injury or illness; further understands that the injuries and illnesses associated with mesh implants have led to loss of income, relationship breakdown, mental ill-health and contribute to the deaths of some patients; notes that the use of transvaginal mesh devices have been suspended in Scotland; further notes, however, that full and complete mesh removal, a procedure that has in many cases relieved or reversed much of the damage caused by mesh, is still not available in Scotland, despite the world-leading surgeon, Dr Veronikis, offering to come here to offer his expertise, and calls on the Scottish Government to indefinitely ban mesh implants and to take immediate action to ensure that mesh-injured women can have access to full mesh removal here in Scotland.