Press Association
Wednesday 23rd May 2012
A leading cosmetic surgery firm is refusing to offer women with PIP breast implants free removal and replacement.
Transform has said it is reviewing its options but, as it stands, women will have to pay £2,800 to have the implants removed.
It follows an announcement from the Government on Friday that anxious patients who had their surgery on the NHS will be able to have the implants removed and replaced free of charge.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said he expects private clinics to offer the same deal to their patients.
Around 40,000 British women have received PIP implants manufactured by the now closed French company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP). The implants were filled with non-medical grade silicone intended for use in mattresses.
A spokeswoman for Transform, which has just over 4,000 patients in the UK with PIP implants, said: "Currently, Transform patients will have to pay to have a removal and re-operation."
She said the firm was reviewing all its options and was making "no commercial gain" from charging women £2,800 to have the implants removed.
The Harley Medical Group, which has 13,900 patients with PIP implants, is due to issue a statement. At the weekend, its chairman Mel Braham said he will pay for the cost of new implants, but only if the NHS does the surgery. He said the Government was responsible for the situation and could do the operations because it had hospitals "at its fingertips".
Consultant plastic surgeon and former president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) Nigel Mercer, said: "This is a real 'Nelson moment' for the aesthetic surgery sector. The Government and the public expect providers to do the right thing and offer free replacements.
"It is appalling that a number of them continue to cling to profit-making rather than helping their patients achieve peace of mind."
