Medical implant firms must be held to account

Patients currently have just 10yrs to take legal action over failures | Campaign group want to see time limit to sue manufacturers doubled

- VIVIENNE AITKEN

CAMPAIGNERS are fighting for the right to sue medical manufacturers over failed implants.

The Raise the Limit group is battling to double the time patients are permitted to sue to 20 years, which would enable more patients get justice from the medical product firms.

One campaigner said: "We don't want to leave anybody behind. Manufacturers need to be brought to account."

Currently, a firm can be sued for up to 10 years for a failed implant but often it is years later before the product fails in a catastrophic way.

Yet the clock begins ticking on the 10 years from the moment the piece of equipment leaves the factory - even though it could be years before it is even implanted into a patient.

All types of implants are included in the ruling, including products such as artificial joints, breast implants, cochlear implants, intraocular lenses, pacemakers and contraceptive devices as well as the controversial mesh implants.

Roseanna Clarkin, 41, has been a long-time campaigner for the scrapping of all mesh products having suffered excruciating pain since they were used to repair a hernia.