The Ministry of Welfare has announced that it will provide financial assistance to women seeking to have PIP breast implants removed.
As has been widely reported globally, Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) breast implants made from 2000 to 2010 have been shown in some cases to leak, which can cause serious health problems. The implants have since been recalled, but a number of women – among them, 440 women in Iceland – who had the implants put in are left wondering if they should undergo the costly procedure of removing them, or take the risk that the implants might not leak.
The Ministry of Welfare issued a statement today saying that insured Icelandic women who received these implants between 2000 and 2010 should be getting a letter in the mail soon, inviting them to have their implants inspected for leakage for free. In the event that their implants are leaking, the government will pay a portion of the cost to have them removed.
The statement emphasises that health officials in Iceland have been following developments about the PIP implants closely, and have been in communication with the government about their findings.
The procedure for having the implants inspected and removed can cost up to 200,000 ISK. The government will pay for the procedure for women with leaking implants – whether the leaks are detected now or at some point in the future – with the patient only having to cover a fee of 29,500 ISK. However, in the event that the implants are not leaking, but women want them removed anyway, they will have to cover the costs themselves.
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