WESTMINSTER DEBATE FIRMS PIP IMPLANT VICTIMS' RESOLVE FOR PUBLIC INQUIRY
Press Release from Thompsons Solicitors - For Immediate Release
Scottish PIP implant victims welcomed Thursday’s Westminster debate on the PIP implant scandal, and renewed their calls for a full public inquiry.
Shadow MPs including Diane Abbott and Stephen Dorrell posed questions to Anne Milton, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health, to determine the scale of the problem and how well it is being tackled
The debate follows the publication of two official reviews examining what happened in the UK in relation to PIP implants.
Spokeswoman for the PiP Implants Scotland campaign group, Trisha Devine, said:
“We’ve gone through hell ever since the news broke about the dangers of these implants.
“We’ve felt abandoned and alone, but today showed that women across the UK share the same concerns and are determined to get answers. That gives us so much encouragement.
“We’ve been calling for a public inquiry into the scandal in Scotland and today’s debate has very publicly shown that there are serious shortcomings in the way the whole issue has been handled.
“The Government’s response today was vague, but that’s not a surprise at all.
“Women directly affected by this are not convinced that there’s no long-term harm caused by PiPs. Nor do we believe that private clinics are treating us properly. In fact, we have massive concerns with the official explanations that have been published to date.
“We won’t stop until we have answers and a system in place that makes it impossible for this sort of thing to ever happen again.”
Jenny Brown had PiP implants surgery at Transform private clinic. The implants ruptured and were removed in February this year, but it was later discovered that chemicals from the implants had leaked into the lymph nodes under her right arm. Jenny listened avidly to today’s debate, commenting:
“It was so uplifting to hear more voices raising the questions we’ve been asking in Scotland.
“But I was absolutely shocked when I heard the Government Minister mention that Transform and other clinics had acted reputably in the whole affair. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“My experience with Transform has left me a shadow of my former self. They’ve been inconsistent, disinterested and dismissive of me. Only now am I getting some basic answers from them, but that’s more due to the political and media pressure being put on them than an actual concern for my wellbeing.”
“The Government doesn’t understand how concerned we are. They think we’ll be soothed by their own reports, but how can we have faith in them when we don’t have all the evidence?
“The MHRA found 68 different chemical compounds in PiP implants but they won’t tell us what they are. They say there’s no long-term health concerns, but won’t show us their research.
“We need full disclosure.”Lawyer for the victims and partner at Thompsons Solicitors, Patrick McGuire, commented:
“On the back of today’s debate we expect the Government to publish the research behind their official reports shortly, together with more in-depth information on the toxicity of the PIP implants themselves.
“The victims are worried, and rightly so. They are not prepared to accept the findings of the official reports until they have all the evidence before them.
“These reports, in particular Sir Bruce Keogh’s expert report, cannot be accepted as final and must be subject to ongoing review
"Clinics were not properly regulated and they still are not. The Scottish NHS did nothing to ensure the safety of medical products and it still does not. The medical response of the NHS was patchy, slow and insufficient and it remains so. “At Thompsons we’re standing fully behind these women in their campaign for fair treatment from their clinics, justice and for lessons to be learned from this scandal. That’s why we’re helping these women fight the clinics in the court and backing their calls for a full and thorough public inquiry into this scandal in Scotland.
“I’d urge all victims of the PiP scandal to seek legal advice to find out their rights. Anyone affected should call us free on 0800 081 29 24”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS: To arrange further comments from Trisha Devine, Jenny Brown and/or Patrick McGuire, contact Tim Weir on 0141 221 8840, e-mail
