OUTGOING Airdrie MSP Alex Neil has welcomed proposals to enable women who paid for mesh removal surgery to be refunded.
Subject to the outcome of the Scottish Parliament election next month, new legislation will be introduced to allow the Scottish Government to meet the travel, medical and other reasonable expenses of those who had mesh removal surgery outwith NHS Scotland.
Currently the law doesn’t allow for such payments to be made from public funds.
NHS Scotland is also inviting tenders to allow suitably qualified surgeons to perform free mesh removal, where this surgery is clinically appropriate and where patients wish it to take place outside of NHS Scotland.
Mr Neil, who suspended the use of mesh implants while health secretary in 2014, said: “I welcome this news and I’m absolutely delighted for all the mesh campaigners who have and continue to work tirelessly to get justice.
“This is another significant step forward and will ensure that those women who paid for surgery out of their own pockets will rightly be refunded.
“While I won’t be standing again for election in May, I’m proud to have worked with my parliamentary colleagues Neil Findlay and Jackson Carlaw on this issue and I will absolutely continue to support the mesh campaign in the future.”
