Virginities restored on the NHS

[Dominique07]

Just wondered what people's thoughts are on this.

I expect it is not a great number of women who are receiving this treatment, and I have heard that the NHS treats some cosmetic surgery, but this seems like something which should be done privately.

Do you mean that hymens are being restored? Surely virginity is a one time only deal.

are you sure this is happening? Do you have a link? I'd be very surprised if it is the case and wonder if someone has got the wrong end of the stick.

interesting ep of The Hospital coming up which very much suggests that this would NOT be available on NHS. they do cosmetic surg but only on medical grounds, iykwim? and with cleggeron on the warpath funding is getting cut all the time.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-494118/Women-virginity-fix-NHS-operations-Muslim-driven-tren d.html

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-494118/Women-virginity-fix-NHS-operations-Muslim-driven-trend.html

I think the usual guideline for any kind of cosmetic treatment on the NHS is if the disfigurement is causing actual mental harm to the patient. So I suppose if you've got someone who is suicidally depressed due to having a broken hymen then they might just about qualify.

24 ops? and it mentions that they are ops that might be done after a sexual assault. fine by me if that's the case. if re-asserting her virginity helps someone to get over being raped, it's medical imo.

It's more for Muslim women where virginity is seen much more important as they don't want their future husbands to know they are not in fact a virgin as there can be potential problems that can occur within her a family.

could be, could be not. i doubt that the NHS is releasing the religious background of the women. that the mail is illustrating it with a picture of a woman in a burqua and interviewing private docs who are seeing muslim women is by the by. the nhs will not be doing these ops for cosmetic reasons, and if a muslim woman is sexually assaulted and it aids her recovery to have her hymen reinstated, fine.

If it is happening it's an indefensible waste of tax-payers money that should be stopped immediately.

It's impossible to say, but the Daily Mail have made at least two articles about it, which is wholly disproportionate to 24 operations in two years for unspecified reasons at a cost to the NHS of probably about £50k, i.e. £25k/year, not even one nurse in the whole country.

There is lots of NHS waste, but this is not about that at all, it's Daily Mail scaremongering about Muslims based on no evidence.

If a girl who has been raped and is distressed by this, then a hymenoplasty might be an appropriate procedure, and at 12 ops/year, it doesn't merit any consideration.

Personally I would be more concerned about people not turning up for their appointments and operations in terms of NHS cash....

Agree with SomeGuy and Aitch.

If it is being done on the NHS then it won't be being done for cultural, religious or social reasons. Trusts simply don't fund cosmetic procedures for non-clinical reasons (please note clinical also includes psychological not just physical).

I don't know about that NomDePlume, my wife wants a mole removed, she was told 'no, it's cosmetic', but her friend was told 'yes, ok', some specialists will be more lenient than others.

But that said this is just scaremongering because there are just 12 cases a year.

Some Trusts are more hardline than others too, mine is v hardline on cosmetic work.

yes, watchThe Hospital this Sunday, it's interesting to see how the different trusts interpret the guidelines, also whether they allow appeals to be made in person etc. there's one boob job that they do where technically the funding has been pulled in the meantime because the rules have tightened to exclude boob jobs where 500cc of tissue can't be taken (a HUGE amount), but they do it anyway out of a sense of obligation.