PIP breast implants: Harley Medical will not replace implants

The Harley Medical Group, which fitted more PIP breast implants than any other UK cosmetic surgery firm, says it will not replace them free of charge. It claimed replacing the banned implants would put the company out of business. The government says private clinics who fitted implants have a "moral duty" to remove them. However, the NHS will pay to remove, but not replace, implants if a private clinic refuses or no longer exists. Around 40,000 women in the UK have been fitted with PIP implants. The Harley Medical Group said it fitted 13,900 women with the implants between September 2001 and March 2010. Its chairman Mel Braham said the company had neither the resources, the surgeons, nor the operating facilities needed to do the surgery. He said the government had a "moral responsibility" to replace the PIP implants. "We're 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." He added: "We're an innocent victim like everyone else, we're attempting to do our best for our patients." On Tuesday, the Welsh government said it would pay to both remove and replace banned breast implants from women who were treated privately. The French, German and Czech authorities have offered to pay for implants to be removed due to a high risk of them rupturing. Speaking in the House of Commons, the health secretary Andrew Lansley said: "Every provider has a responsibility to put things right." He said it was not fair for the taxpayer to foot the bill.