GPs must show more sympathy to patients with PIP implants

If my car has an MOT then breaks down - I am liable. I a manufacturer makes a faulty product that meets legal regulations - they are liable for recall and replacement of parts. If I crash my car due to a faulty part the NHS will sort me out without charging me. They may well chase the insurance companies for money however.

I agree that no woman should be left without appropriate health care due to companies going but BUT the manufacturers and the companies that did the surgery both need to take responsiblity. I'm shocked that there is no insurance scheme in place to cover for this eventuality, even when the private cosmetic surgery companies closed down. Either the private companies had insurance, in which case the remedial surgery could be covered by the insurance company from the premium paid at the time of surgery, or the private companies classed the individual surgeons as private contractors, in which case the private surgeons need to cover the work from their own indemnity schemes.

No GP wants women to suffer but it's not acceptable that despite the millions have been made by companies and surgeons who push cosmetic surgery none of the main companies take any responsibility for this scandal. We should not 'privatise the profits and socialise the losses' for this. If the private companies don't cough up I suggest a 20% state insurance premium for all private plastic surgery , both to recoup the cost to the NHS for remedial surgery and to cover future claims. This is completely justifiable as the private companies obviously cannot arrange their own insurance schemes.

Hmm a few typos in that post above, apologies.

Having a private breast augmentation is a lifestyle choice and should not impact on the NHS.

The latest guidance from 27/1/2012 continues to fudge the issue about what services are available on the NHS to patients who have had their implants privately. GPs seem to be the first port of call if the private provider is not willing to see the patient. Only if clinically indicated !! (symptoms and signes of possible rupture) should a referral be made to a breast surgeon who will then decide whether scanning is necessary (although the flow charts show this the other way around). Caution is advised regarding false negative or false positive scan results.

Money wasted in this way is taken away from patients with real health problems. In my view the responsibility lies jointly with the private patient and the private provider. After all, all breast implants have a risk of rupture, which will have been explained before surgery. I note on the Allergan american website, that this manufacturer is offering insurance against rupture problems at an additional cost to the private patient.

If one were to follow the arguments in Una's article, then treatments like removal of tattoos etc., if causing the necessary anxiety levels, should be available on the NHS.

I do not think so.

I fully agree with Ulrich Pfeiffer.
Secondly,what makes Una Coales think GPs do not sympathise with patients who have been caught in the breast implant scandle?Surely there are better things to write about.