ALMOST 900 Scots who received PIP breast implants face paying thousands of pounds to have them removed after a second cosmetic surgery firm said it would not foot the bill.
The Harley Medical Group, which operates 31 clinics in the UK and Ireland including one in Glasgow, announced yesterday it would not remove and replace the implants for former patients free of charge.
The company fitted PIP implants to almost 14,000 British women – including around 450 Scots – more than any other private provider. However, it claims that replacing the banned implants would put it out of business.
Its chairman, Mel Braham, said: "We are only sitting here today because the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), their own regulatory authority, has approved these implants, and obviously hasn't done their proper checking.
"We are an innocent victim, like everyone else."
It comes just days after the Transform cosmetic surgery chain also defied Department of Health advice by refusing to offer the procedure for free. That refusal has left around 430 former patients in Scotland facing the prospect of a £2800 bill, unless there was a "clinical need" for the implants to be removed on the NHS.
Around 40,000 British women received PIP implants manufactured by the now defunct French company Poly Implant Prostheses (PIP). The implants were filled with non-medical grade silicone intended for use in mattresses.
Yesterday Health Secretary Andrew Lansley reiterated the Government's view that private clinics had a moral duty to look after their patients.
"Every provider has a responsibility to put things right," Mr Lansley told the House of Commons.
He added that there would be further investigations into the scandal, looking at how the EU approved the devices and the actions of the UK's MHRA in clearing them for use.
A review has already been set up into the regulation and governance of the cosmetic surgery sector, led by Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, and will include treatments such as cosmetic surgery and dermal fillers.
The Care Quality Commission is also due to publish a review of private clinics in March in light of the implants scandal.
Meanwhile, Dutch health authorities now say women who had the breast implants should have them taken out.
The Dutch health watchdog and the Dutch Association of Plastic Surgeons said that even if there does not appear to be a problem with the implants, they were recommending that the devices be removed.
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