Welsh government will replace private PIP implants on NHS

The Welsh government has said that it will pay to replace PIP implants for women who had them done privately.

Last week the UK government reaffirmed its view that the implants did not require routine removal. However, health minister for Wales Lesley Griffiths said that not replacing the PIP implants could put women at unnecessary risk.

Around 2,000 women in Wales are estimated to have the implants, but women must prove they sought redress from their private care provider and be a resident and registered with a GP in Wales to have them replaced.

On Tuesday Lesley Griffiths said: "We said then that we would replace implants which were put in by the NHS, and today we are going one step further by announcing we will also replace those which were put in privately.

"Removing the implants and not replacing them could result in unsightly scarring, loose skin, and potentially the accumulation of fluids, need for drainage, and risk of infection."

But Ms Griffiths stressed that NHS treatment would be a last resort for women who were treated privately, and safeguards would be put in place to hold the private sector to account.

This comes after a top surgeon urged for the removal of the 40,000 PIP breast implants estimated to be in the UK.