The patient safety commissioner for England, Dr Henrietta Hughes, has urged the government to provide financial assistance to the families of children who were born with disabilities caused by epilepsy drug, sodium valproate, and to women who were injured by pelvic mesh implants. The two health scandals have reportedly ruined lives due to a lack of attention to the risks involved. It is estimated that around 20,000 children have been born with disabilities after exposure to sodium valproate since the early 1970s. Scientific papers from the 1980s have long since indicated that such medicine could be dangerous to developing fetuses. However, warnings about the potential impact on unborn babies were not added to packaging until 2016.
The report recommends that initial payments be made to victims of the sodium valproate scandal by offering £100,000 to them, and to pay women injured by mesh implants £20,000. The recommendation should be followed by further payments to some victims and their families, said Dr Hughes. The government has said that the recommendations would be considered and responded to. The sodium valproate scandal refers to the severe birth defects caused by a morning sickness drug, similar to the one caused by Thalidomide, that was licensed in the UK in the 1950s. Dr Hughes stated that the sodium valproate scandal, however, is greater than the Thalidomide scandal.
Ms Emma Friedman’s son Andy has foetal valproate syndrome that caught her attention to the dangerous drug, and she has called for compensation and support for families that fair from the drug across the world. She said that it’s the guilt of taking the pills, not asking enough questions, and not being able to provide for the family that is killing her slowly. The government now recommends that the drug should not be consumed by women or girls at childbearing age, except under special circumstances.
Pelvic mesh implants are a treatment for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and incontinence. It has been found that some 10,000 women were injured by these implants. As a result, they lead permanent physical damage, including the inability to walk or work, among other things. Dr Hughes is calling for a redress payment scheme to compensate affected women as “it’s a question of justice” for the families fighting for years or decades to correct their situation
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