10 Oct 2019
Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to intervene in a row which has led to the world’s foremost mesh removal surgeon cancelling his visit to Scotland.
Dr Dionysios Veronikis was supposed to travel here to remove mesh implants from Scottish women whose lives have been ruined by the procedure, and train other surgeons in the practice.
But that arrangement has now been scrapped, and one leading Scottish surgeon has said there is a “professional conspiracy against his visit”.
At First Minister’s Questions today, Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw challenged Ms Sturgeon to reassure patients that there was no cover-up in relation to mesh implants in Scotland.
Dr Agur, who was previously on the Scottish Government’s review group on mesh, told Mr Carlaw: “I can confirm that surgeons here felt deeply threatened by Dr Veronikis’ offer to visit Scotland. No doubt there is a professional conspiracy against his visit.”
Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw said:
“If there is a professional conspiracy against Dr Veronikis and his proposed work in Scotland, that is an outrage.
“It’s something in which the First Minister must intervene.
“There’s clear suspicion that there is a professional and institutional campaign to frustrate his involvement, and a view among many that establishment figures in the NHS are trying to protect their own backs.
“During this decade-long scandal many of the affected women feel that they have been unable to meet and discuss their experience directly with the First Minister.
“They feel that the urgency of their situation needs the direct support and engagement of the head of their government.
“That’s why this needs the attention of Nicola Sturgeon to help get their lives sorted.”
Follow this news feed: Scottish Conservatives