At a meeting scheduled for 1.30pm on Thursday 22 October, MSPs considering the long-running mesh petition, will have an opportunity to hear from the Missouri-based doctor.
Dr Veronikis had previously been expected to come to Scotland to help women affected by mesh devices, before a breakdown in his relationship with the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland.
Speaking as the session was announced, Committee Convener, Johann Lamont MSP, said:
“The petitioners have great faith in the techniques being pioneered by Dr Veronikis and they believe that his work offers an important glimmer of hope for the women whose lives have been scarred by mesh operations’ impact.
“That hope has now been significantly dimmed as a result of the relationship between the Scottish Government, NHS Scotland and Dr Veronkis breaking down.
“We want to hear Dr Veronikis’ views and understand the issues from his perspective, as well as to find out what, if anything, our Committee can do to advocate on behalf of the women whose futures potentially hinge on this doctor.”
Previously, the Scottish Government had committed to trying to bring the doctor to Scotland, with a view to surgeons here learning from him. However, he wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Jeane Freeman MSP, earlier this year to withdraw his offer to cooperate, claiming his goodwill was exasperated and that progress was not being made after 18 months of discussions, including a visit to his practice in Missouri by the then Chief Medical Officer and an accompanying clinical team in November 2019.
Background
The meeting has been scheduled during recess to accommodate Dr Veronikis’ busy schedule and the six-hour time difference.
Background information on the petition, including mesh implants, their impact on the petitioners and a report published by the Committee on the issue in June 2018 are all available here.
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