to think that it's not for the nhs to pick up the bill to remove potentially faulty breast implants?

[wannaBe]

There are calls today for women who have had the faulty French breast implants to have them removed on the NHS. Apparently 40000 women have these implants, and to remove all of them would cost the NHS £150 million.

Now, if a woman has had these implants as part of reconstructive surgery following mastectomy then I agree that she should be able to have them removed. But other than that, if you choose to buy yourself bigger breasts (and let's be honest, leaking implants are not a new thing), then it isn't the nhs's responsibility to pick up the tab if there might be a problem.

If your life is in immediate danger then you would obviously need to have surgery on the NHS, but just on the off-chance? I think the company responsible should be the ones picking up the bill and don't see why the taxpayer should shoulder the responsibility for other peoples' vanity.

we are all at risk of cancer. It's just that some of us are more so because of lifestyle choices we make.

Breast implants have been controversial for years now - the risks of leakage are not new. So surely any woman who has breast implants fitted knows that at the very least there have been issues with implants in the past and that there could be a risk in inserting a synthetic product into your body in the name of vanity.

I have just read that private and NHS can work along side after a change in the law 2008.

So, in that case I think it is right that women should be able to have these removed under NHS just a smoker has access to treatment etc.

However, I really hope that no one does get cancer and in addition hope this scare will reverse the trend of sticking lumps of silicone into womens breasts for vanity's sake.

Cassettetape

I am sorry that you had to go through surgery and I agree with you that everyone who had the implants should get them removed on the NHS.

I do however think that it is common place in our society for girls as young as 14+ to think that implants are normal and that is what we are talking about here. Many people have said they are not talking about women like yourself.

randommoment I think that's a valid point. The issue is that medicine and science has improved massively and with it peoples' lifespan has increased as well. But the money to fund it hasn't increased at the same rate, so people want the same service but for hundreds more conditions, and there is only so much money to go around.

And everyone feels their entitlement is as great as the next person's.

I agree that if the procedure was done for cosmetic reasons the NHS should not bear the costs involved. Yes I am judging those who had this type of cosmetic procedure. I think they've got a bloody nerve actually even expecting that this might be funded.
The costs involved are huge and the risk to the patient not properly quantified. If you can afford to have them put in you can afford to have them taken out. The NHS cannot afford to do it.

alt, I did say that reconstruction was a different issue entirely. I'm talking women who had implants for reasons of vanity - i.e. they wanted bigger breasts, not because they didn't have breasts or had to have reconstruction following mastectomy.

And actually, given 40000 women in the UK have these implants, it does beg the question, how many women have breast implants - this isn't the only company that provides them after all..

I think the private clinics who continued to use these implants despite concerns being raised about them 4 years ago should be made to foot the bill for correcting any procedures they performed.

It must be a horrible time for any women who have these implants and they have my sympathy, but I don't think the NHS should shoulder the whole bill. The private clinics must share the responsibility.

Hedge, my own anecdotal experience is that the NHS encourages you to pursue the private clinic if they fucked up but can't enforce it - after all, you do pay for the NHS too!

Recently an orthodontic appliance that I had installed yonks ago in another country broke. (Was supposed to be permanent.) The orthodontic ward at the local hospital asked me if I could chase up the old clinic, but since it was about 15 years ago and in another country this was clearly impractical, so they agreed to see me.

So was it ever the case that if you got ill after private surgery the NHS wouldn't treat you?? I am and think that is terrible - after all, they treat people who have stupid DIY accidents and people who don't wear motorcycle crash helmets!

I'm with the OP on this one too. Sorry if I am judging, but those who have had implants for cosmetic reasons should either fund the removal themselves, or imho preferably at the expense of the clinic who performed the surgery. In no way should the NHS fund these operations - the responsibility lies with the company who produced them, the people who presumably licensed them for cosmetic use or the clinic who performed the operation.

Like others on this thread, I also think that women who have had these implants fitted for medical reasons ie reconstructive surgery after cancer, injury etc SHOULD be eligible to use the NHS to fund the removal and replacement of the implants.

I fail to see why an already stretched NHS should fund the correction of a cosmetic procedure - and I fail to see why the producer/licensee of these particular implants would not be pursued for all costs from both the NHS and private care.

Judgey? Yes, but realistic. If we want to retain some form of NHS in the next 10 years then they should not be funding these procedures.

Unfortunately some of the private clinics are less than reputable. Cheap and flash adverts but if you want a good job doing (and I can't think why) then find a NHS surgeon of good repute who practices at a private hospital as well. Otherwise you may find yourself 'transformed' in ways you don't like.

Totally agree with the op. why should the NHs pay they should get bank loans to pay it or take the implants out leave them with no implants. Old people are refused operAtions due to cut backs, left to die people are not being given life saving drugs due to cut backs. Sorry vanity is not a price the NHs has ever paid for and it shouldn't now. My sister has these implants she got them abroad. Well she can fuck off back over there and PAY again to have them removed.

Psychological my arse oh my tits are small no one fancies me. Oh my tits are saggy I need new ones, fuck off vanity is vanity. If you paid to have them done the first time you can pay again.

well heres the thing, either the NHS treats people in need without making value judgements about whether or not they have brought something upon themselves or it doesn't. If we go down the route of saying "well, you made this potential cancer causing choice, so you can deal with the consquences privately" then every smoker shouldn't get treatment (they knew what they were doing), every sunbed user shouldn't get treatment, every injury caused by contact sports, every fat person needing knee replacement etc.

Removal of a ruptured implant should be on the NHS, replacement not (you can pay for that yourself) - and the NHS should pursue the manufacturers/their insurers to cover the costs to the NHS.

oh, and no cosmetic surgery here, although I can still sympathise with people who need help due to making different choices to me.

alt, but the call is for all people who have had these implants fitted to have them removed on the nhs, even those who have had them done privately.

I'm really quite shocked that there does not seem to be even a register of who had what done and with what implants and when. Surely the bona fide cosmetic surgeons should set up an insurance system and those undergoing procedures should pay a premium at the time to cover the possibility of problems at a later date that are down to a person or organisation that cannot be traced or has failed financially ? I'm not at all sure that at the moment some of the women having surgery know that it will need to be done a second time after 15 years or so.

FWIW I think the NHS has a duty to help people who have an additional risk of serious illness.

So I think the NHS should screen women (if this is poss) with these implants and should remove but not replace leaky/ problematic ones. Women with (for now) non-problematic implants then have peace of mind but should legally be able to pursue the clinic that installed them if they desire.

The NHS could ethically refuse to remove implants on a 'what if' basis, but I don't think we can refuse that treatment to someone whose implants actually start to leak. Are we also going to refuse treatment to an HIV+ drugs user on the grounds they knew they were taking a risk? Come on. If the NHS wants to make savings, there are obvious inefficient areas that can be tackled first.

If the person who had the implants paid for it initially out of vanity then they should pay again simple. Reconstructive surgery after a mastectomy is not vanity that's different and it's the only time the NHs should pay for it.

From an ethical POV you cannot deny healthcare based on the circumstances in which the health need has arose.

From a practical POV the bill will be picked up elsewhere if the women are left with the implants. Imagine living with a potential 'time bomb' in your body, do you think that you would not end up suffering from severe stress, which would need treating? Include the cost to the womans children and this is why the price of the funding is viewed as the cheaper option.

If only a few of these womens children ended up needing foster care, do you realise how much that costs? It would be at least £400 a week per child.

There is masses of waste across all government departments that should be stopped, first.