AS SCOTLAND holds an inquiry into a medical scandal, a woman who is campaigning for similar action in Wales has travelled to Edinburgh to lend her support.

Barry woman Jemima Williams is spearheading a campaign in Wales for the banning of a gynaecological mesh implant that has left women across the globe in agony and, in many cases, confined to wheelchairs.

This week, as a Scottish petitions committee investigates the dangers of the device - used largely for pelvic prolapse issues in women - a US lawyer has described the netting used as being as dangerous as asbestos.

“The closest analogy I can find is asbestos,” US lawyer Adam Slater said. “Something that was thought to be a wonderful invention for a long time and now everybody in the world knows it is something you wouldn’t want to go anywhere near.”

Problems arise when the implant migrates and erodes, leaving people in constant pain and in many cases permanently disabled or needing life-saving surgery when the mesh perforates their intestines.

Jemima, 54, has described how, since having the mesh operation 12 years ago, she has lived in agony every day.

It has already been classified as "high risk" in the US where several successful multi-million dollar lawsuits have been won by those who have had operations.

As a result of a massive campaign in Scotland, last year Scottish Health Minister Alex Neil urged health boards to suspend the use of the mesh until after a safety review.

It has since been revealed that despite this, many health boards ignored the government request and a further 166 operations were carried out.

Jemima, of Griffin Close, Barry has been campaigning for the Welsh Assembly to take similar action - or at the least follow Scotland's footsteps in creating a database to record instances of failure - with the help of her GP husband Dennis and solicitor Dr Sarah-Jane Richards.

Jemima is hoping that a successful campaign in Scotland will pave the way for action across the UK.

She also plans to create a petition that can be handed in to the Welsh Government's petitions committee.

"We've been going up to Scotland to lend our support to the campaigners," she said. "And also to meet with them and get advice on what we can do in order to bring this forward in Wales.

"Hopefully once Scotland have their foot in the door other health boards will have to bow to pressure."