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Woman's Hour

The Cumberlege Review. How has the healthcare system responded to concerns raised by women?

Woman's Hour

BBC

Society & Culture

4.13K Ratings

🗓️ 7 July 2020

⏱️ 49 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, also known as the Cumberlege review, is finally being published tomorrow after being delayed by Covid-19. It will focus on three health scandals that have severely affected women’s lives including vaginal mesh implants, an oral pregnancy test called Primodos, and an anti-epileptic drug called sodium valproate. The precise medical details between the cases differ, but what they all have in common is that women were given medical products that weren’t properly tested, and then weren’t believed when they complained of side effects further down the line. BBC Health Correspondent Anna Collinson talks about the background to the cases and the review, and Bonita Barrett discusses her experience of seeking help – and being ignored – when she went to her doctor in pain after being given a mesh implant without her consent.

It’s 1957 and Jean Swinney, a journalist on a local paper in the London suburbs, is investigating a story about a virgin birth. As she gets closer to the people involved Jean’s lonely and dutiful life becomes more interesting and she experiences a miracle of her own. Clare Chambers’ book ‘Small Pleasures’ is her first for 10 years and it was an item on Woman’s Hour which sparked the idea. There is a concern that some children and pregnant women have missed routine vaccinations in England during the Coronavirus pandemic. Professor Sonia Saxena from Imperial College, London explains why this must be reversed quickly.

Jane speaks to the winner of the Winner of The Arts Society’s national Isolation Artwork Competition in support of young artists during lockdown.

Presenter: Jane Garvey Producer: Caroline Donne Interviewed guest: Anna Collinson Interviewed guest: Bonita Barrett Interviewed guest: Clare Chambers Interviewed guest: Sonia Saxena

Transcript

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0:00.0

Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know.

0:04.6

My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds.

0:08.4

As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality featuring the most knowledgeable

0:14.3

experts and genuinely engaging voices. What you may not know is that the BBC

0:20.4

makes podcasts about all kinds of things like pop stars,

0:24.6

poltergeist, cricket, and conspiracy theories and that's just a few examples.

0:29.7

If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, find your next podcast over at BBC Sounds.

0:36.0

BBC Sounds.

0:38.0

BBC Sounds Music Radio Podcasts.

0:41.0

Hi, this is Jane Garvey and this is the Woman's Our Podcast. It's Tuesday the 7th. podcasts. Claire Chambers, author of a brilliant book about a potential virgin birth in 50s Britain,

0:55.0

it's called Small Pleasurers.

0:57.0

Claire on the programme today, and we'll also talk to the award-winning portrait painter Abigail Maghale

1:02.0

Maghale, who has painted a wonderful self-portrait

1:04.9

called Brewing. We'll chat to her on the programme a little later and I think you can

1:09.1

see that very soon on the Women's Hour Twitter Feed at BBC Women's Hour.

1:13.8

First though to something of enormous significance,

1:16.2

the Independent Medicine's and Medical Devices Safety Review,

1:20.7

also known as the Cumberledge Review is finally being published tomorrow.

1:25.0

It was delayed by COVID-19.

1:28.0

Now this review focuses on three separate health scandals,

1:32.0

all of which have severely affected women's lives, notably.

1:37.2

Vaginal mesh implants, an oral pregnancy test called primidose,

...

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