Thousands of women with these implants are still living in fear
07 Apr 2013
Diane Abbott MP, Labour shadow public health minister raises concerns after new evidence suggests the PIP implants are weaker than first thought and may rupture A piece in the British Journal of Surgery by top surgeons from UCL and the Royal Free this week says that their examination showed the implants are weaker than thought, will rupture and so should be removed from all women.
Latest figures suggest the NHS has only removed 1,000 of the 49,000 PIP implants.
Diane Abbott said:
"There are thousands of women with these implants still living in fear and uncertainty over a year after they were first revealed to be substandard.
'It appears the advice that the Government gave originally may well have been wrong.
'I have met many worried women suffering with symptoms and battling with private companies who either refuse to remove the implants or insist the women must pay.
"Ministers must ask Government experts to further examine this new evidence - not brush it under the carpet - and the Department of Health may need to change its advice.
"Thousands of women still have these implants. And too many feel at the mercy of the private surgeons who won't pay for their mistakes - in turn leaving the NHS to pick up the costs.
"The Government has to make sure there is up to date information available to these women and their families.
'And they must put pressure on private companies to remove implants from any woman that requests it. This is a problem which will not go away.'
-ENDS-
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