❓ WA Parliament Question on Notice regarding the prevalence and management of PIP breast implants in WA, focusing on access to scans and removal for women without private health insurance.
AnsweredQoN 7601Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the scandal around Poly Implant Prosthete (PIP) breast implants, in which industrial grade silicon was used instead of medical grade silicon resulting in rupture rates as high as 34 per cent and further medical complications, and ask:
(a) estimations by the Therapeutic Good Association show that at least 12,000 PIP implants have been sold in Australia, does the Minister acknowledge that there are potentially over a thousand Western Australian women with PIP implants;
(b) will the Department of Health cover the cost of ultrasounds for Western Australian women with PIP implants, who have no private health insurance, to determine whether or not their implants have ruptured; and
(c) given that many affected women cannot afford to have their implants removed, will the Minister consider the case for Western Australian women with ruptured implants to have their implants removed via the public elective surgery waitlist?
(a) estimations by the Therapeutic Good Association show that at least 12,000 PIP implants have been sold in Australia, does the Minister acknowledge that there are potentially over a thousand Western Australian women with PIP implants;
(b) will the Department of Health cover the cost of ultrasounds for Western Australian women with PIP implants, who have no private health insurance, to determine whether or not their implants have ruptured; and
(c) given that many affected women cannot afford to have their implants removed, will the Minister consider the case for Western Australian women with ruptured implants to have their implants removed via the public elective surgery waitlist?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
3 May 2012
Responded by
Minister for Health
Response time
37 days
(a) The exact number of women with PIP implants in WA is uncertain as reporting of device use is not mandatory. Registry data from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia suggests that approximately 9054 PIP implants have been sold in Australia since 2003/04. In contrast, the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons maintains a Breast Implant Registry. That registry notes 214 patients across Australia have had PIP implants.
Department of Health data indicates 7 PIP implants were procured within the public sector by Health Corporate Network from early 2006 to June 2010, and this information was provided to the relevant hospitals in June 2010. It is unclear whether these were saline or silicone implants. Informal communications with private providers indicates a low level of use of PIP implants prior to the TGA recall.
(b) No. The Federal Government has ensured that women with a PIP implant have access to one Medicare rebated MRI scan within the next 12 months. The purpose of the scan is to evaluate the integrity of the implant. Women who subsequently develop symptoms associated with implant rupture will also have recourse to another Medicare rebate MRI, regardless of whether or not they previously had a normal MRI scan.
(c) In the event of an implant rupture, patients may access any public hospital for medical attention and removal of the implant.
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Department of Health data indicates 7 PIP implants were procured within the public sector by Health Corporate Network from early 2006 to June 2010, and this information was provided to the relevant hospitals in June 2010. It is unclear whether these were saline or silicone implants. Informal communications with private providers indicates a low level of use of PIP implants prior to the TGA recall.
(b) No. The Federal Government has ensured that women with a PIP implant have access to one Medicare rebated MRI scan within the next 12 months. The purpose of the scan is to evaluate the integrity of the implant. Women who subsequently develop symptoms associated with implant rupture will also have recourse to another Medicare rebate MRI, regardless of whether or not they previously had a normal MRI scan.
(c) In the event of an implant rupture, patients may access any public hospital for medical attention and removal of the implant.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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