A number of women in the Kingdom have started having their doctors remove faulty breast implants manufactured by the now-defunct French firm, Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), which was shut down in 2010. A total of 300,000 women around the world bought the implants. Doctors have advised women to remove them. Eight women have undergone surgery at a private hospital in Jeddah to remove the implants, with a further seven women booked with other plastic surgeons. Dr. Ibrahim Al-Ashari, a consultant plastic surgeon and Deputy Chairman of the Saudi Association of Plastic Surgery (SAPS), said he removed silicone implants from the breasts of a 30-year-old woman. He has a number of other bookings, he said. He said the French company used cheap industrial silicone to fill the implants and was banned from marketing its products in April 2010. Al-Ashari said that the implants may not cause cancer but can harm the body. Earlier, Dr. Saleh Al-Tayar, the Deputy Executive President of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) for Devices and Medical Products, said the SFDA was informed by some European medical centers about the toxic silicone and banned its entry in 2010. A Saudi woman claimed that she had unsuccessfully sought the help of the Ministry of Health several times to help her and three relatives who had the implant surgeries at a reputable clinic in Jeddah. Dr. Sami Badawood, Director of the Health Affairs in Jeddah, denied that his office had received the complaints. He said his office was open to anyone wanting to lodge a complaint against a doctor or hospital. Dr. Nasser Al-Tweam, Chairman of the Consumer Protection Association (CPA), said: “The CPA is aware of the danger and side effects of the silicone. In view of this, it has asked the Kingdom's hospitals to scan all the women who have the PIP implants. It also called for all plastic surgery clinics to be placed under surveillance.” He also urged cosmetic hospitals to shoulder their moral and legal obligations by contacting all the women who had these implants and to remove them free of charge. Another woman, who approached the newspaper on condition of anonymity, said her surgeon refused to remove her implants free of charge. She eventually had to pay. She said she had the implants four years ago before her marriage and was then blessed with a baby girl after a year. She said she became depressed when she realized she could not breastfeed her baby because of the implants. She said she is ready to call on the government to order these clinics to remove the implants free of charge.
