Second recall must prompt inquiry into faulty hip devices

The international recall of a second metal-on-metal hip replacement device should cause the government to re-think its decision to block a Health select committee inquiry into these devices, says Labour’s Health spokesperson Maryan Street.

"National MPs on the committee blocked my last call for an inquiry into the Johnson and Johnson hip replacement devices. Now we have a second recall and the need for a proper New Zealand inquiry becomes urgent," said Maryan Street.

"More than 500 New Zealanders have the faulty Johnson and Johnson product in their bodies and only a fraction of those have had the revision surgery required to replace the original device with another. Now we have 106 more people who have been given another metal-on-metal device which has proven to be faulty. How many New Zealanders need to be affected before Tony Ryall acts?

"Other countries have conducted reviews and inquiries - why not New Zealand? The Health Minister should not have to be provoked by the select committee to be concerned about the health and welfare of New Zealanders. But to instruct his National Party colleagues to vote against my move for an inquiry is tantamount to dereliction of duty," she said.

"What will it take for Mr Ryall to take action? At the very least, an inquiry would produce some risk assessment. We need to know what the effects of these faulty devices might be, what high metal toxicity levels do to people's health, who needs to have them replaced and who is responsible for a faulty product and its entry into New Zealand.

"There is no point in trumpeting higher elective surgery numbers if hundreds of operations are simply going to have to be done again, compromising patients' health further in the process.

"Tony Ryall should be acting on this issue off his own bat, not waiting for a select committee inquiry, but in the event of his inaction, he should not block the committee from looking into this matter," said Maryan Street.