WOMEN WHO had defective breast implants here will have them removed free of charge but may have to pay to have them replaced, it emerged over the weekend.
More than 1,500 women in Ireland were given defective implants manufactured by French firm Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) over the last 10 years.
Representatives of the PIP Action Group met chief medical officer Tony Holohan on Friday, and an information day for affected women was attended by about 200 people in Dublin on Saturday.
Separately, it also emerged this weekend that the Dublin-based cosmetic surgery firm Harley Medical Group Ireland, which fitted about 1,100 PIP implants here, had a turnover of €9.5 million and profits of €1.78 million over the three years from 2008 to 2010.
Lisa Fair, spokeswoman for PIP Action, welcomed the news that Harley Medical had agreed to pay for the removal of the implants as a “good start”.
“What we have said from the beginning is that we want removal and replacement – if the individual wants replacement – and for the firms to take responsibility for this.
“We feel this is a positive first step.”
She described Saturday’s meeting as “very calm, very positive”, although there was also “a lot of shock, distress and upset at the meeting”.
“What we wanted to achieve is that the women would feel they had options at the end of the day, whether they be legal, counselling . . . that they would feel empowered to progress from this.”
A further meeting with Dr Holohan was scheduled for the end of June, she said.
Harley Medical Group had agreed to write to all affected patients by the end of May, she said, and to have begun removal of implants by the end of June.
Dr Holohan would be seeking reports from the group on these commitments, said Ms Fair.
While studies have since found that the industrial-grade silicone, used to stuff mattresses, poses no health risks, the women have been advised to have the substance removed.
Poly Implant Prothese, which created the defective implants, has since gone out of business.
