NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Surgical mesh injuries rising, ACC figures show

Amy Wiggins
By Amy Wiggins
Education reporter, NZ Herald.·NZ Herald·
18 Oct, 2017 04:16 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Carmel Berry is fighting for changes to the use of surgical mesh so more women are not left living in pain. Photo / File

Carmel Berry is fighting for changes to the use of surgical mesh so more women are not left living in pain. Photo / File

The number of people who have laid claims with ACC for injuries caused by the use of surgical mesh has continued to climb despite problems with the product being well known, new figures show.

These figures come just a day before surgical mesh patients campaigning for restrictions on its use are to meet with the Ministry of Health over concerns around its use.

ACC figures showed 810 treatment injury claims relating to surgical mesh were made over the 12 fiscal years to June 30 this year. Of those, 640 claims were accepted and 170 declined.

The number of claims increased from 44 in 2007/08 to 85 in 2008/09 and 91 in 2009/10.The number of claims then dipped for two years and started increasing again in 2012/13. The claims count peaked in 2016/17 with more than 150.

ACC had already paid out $13.2 million for surgical-mesh related claims during that period.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

As well as more people suffering injuries from the treatment, the rise could in part be explained by media coverage around the issue, the health select committee review and more awareness of treatment injuries, the ACC report stated.

In 2012, it was first revealed surgical mesh that had been the subject of lawsuits overseas was still being implanted in hundreds of New Zealanders. Its use has continued since then.

Medsafe acting group manager Derek Fitzgerald said the Ministry of Health's position remained that the benefits of using mesh outweighed the risks if used by appropriately trained surgeons and in carefully selected patients.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But Carmel Berry, one of the founders of Mesh Down Under, has lived in pain ever since surgical mesh was used to repair a prolapsed uterus in 2004.

Ever since, she has been fighting to make sure other people are spared the agony she faces each day.

But despite an inquiry by the Health Select Committee which released its findings in August last year, Berry says not much has changed.

"Certainly nothing's changed in terms of rising numbers of people making ACC claims for treatment injuries from surgical mesh," she said.

Discover more

New Zealand

Mesh blamed for agony still used in ops

24 May 05:00 PM
New Zealand

Patient urges surgical mesh inquiry

02 Jul 07:23 AM
New Zealand

Mesh review a 'great first step'

09 May 05:00 PM
New Zealand|politics

Surgical mesh registry considered

24 Aug 03:23 AM

On Friday Berry and other mesh patients will meet with representatives of the Ministry of Health, Medsafe and respective medical colleges to discuss the issues around its use.

Fitzgerald said the Ministry rejected claims little had been done to implement the recommendations.

The select committee made seven recommendations around the use of surgical mesh which included setting up a registry for the use of the product and complications with it; a review informed consent procedures around its use; ensuring the coding for mesh use in clinical notes was consistent; encouraging the use of the adverse events reporting system; ongoing education for surgeons on the use and removal of mesh; and expanding Medsafe's role to assess the quality and safety of medical devices before they could be used in New Zealand.

The registry and making Medsafe responsible for assessing products would be addressed as part of the development of a new comprehensive regulatory regime to regulate therapeutic products in New Zealand which was currently being drafted, he said.

He said meetings had also been held with professional colleges to discuss training and changes to information given to patients, while coding had been discussed with health boards, and adverse event reporting forms had been simplified.

Berry said she was happy mesh was no longer the recommended treatment option for pelvic organ prolapse but was concerned the same issues would be found with synthetic midurethral slings, which were made of mesh and used in women with stress urinary incontinence, in a few years' time.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

One American study showed at least 15 per cent of women who had the procedure experienced a serious negative outcome.

Berry believed steps needed to be taken to make sure the risk was more clearly relayed to women so they could make an informed decision on whether to go ahead with the procedure or not.

The Ministry of Health had also asked district health boards to make sure mesh was recorded as part of the description in every surgery where it was used but Berry said that did not appear to be happening in many cases.

Data supplied to her by the Ministry of Health showed only 72 of the 204 sling procedures done between April and July had mesh recorded despite the fact it was a mesh treatment, she said.

"Not much has changed but things are getting worse. We don't know if that's because people are having more surgery with mesh or people are more aware about what the issues are and are speaking out on them."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

Business

Why Marlborough bach owners face soaring power charges

09 May 04:10 AM
New Zealand

New $28m sport centre opens in Tauranga with family fun day

09 May 04:03 AM
New Zealand

Meet the solo mums who are not single parents

09 May 03:56 AM

One tiny baby’s fight to survive

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Why Marlborough bach owners face soaring power charges

Why Marlborough bach owners face soaring power charges

09 May 04:10 AM

Marlborough Lines says remote properties can’t access low-user plans.

New $28m sport centre opens in Tauranga with family fun day

New $28m sport centre opens in Tauranga with family fun day

09 May 04:03 AM
Meet the solo mums who are not single parents

Meet the solo mums who are not single parents

09 May 03:56 AM
'How they do it in the West Coast': Man disfigures family dog in drunken attack

'How they do it in the West Coast': Man disfigures family dog in drunken attack

09 May 03:36 AM
Connected workers are safer workers 
sponsored

Connected workers are safer workers 

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP