When Ilise Girvan was 23 years old and insecure about her appearance, she made a decision she now regrets every day.
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She had silicon-gel implants, made by French company Poly Implant Prothèse, inserted into her breasts.
‘‘I’d never have it done now,’’ Ms Girvan said.
The implants ruptured and the Belconnen mother, now 35, cannot afford the $17,000 she was told it would cost to have them removed in a private hospital.
Ms Girvan was initially advised that she would not be eligible to have the implants removed as a public patient.
But this week she was told she could be treated at The Canberra Hospital.
Other Australian women with ruptured PIP implants who cannot afford private treatment are also being forced to seek treatment in public hospitals.
The pain from the rupture is sometimes so intense Ms Girvan cannot hold her young daughter on her lap.
‘‘It’s so hard to explain to her. If I laugh, if I get tense, if anything with the muscles pulls on the scar tissue, then it hurts,’’ she said. ‘‘I worry because I get pain in both [breasts].’’
French authorities withdrew the implants from the market in 2010 following concerns they contained unapproved ingredients and might be more likely to break.
The federal health department believes about 5000 Australian women received the implants before they were recalled.
The Australian government says there is no evidence the implants are toxic, nor does it advise they be removed.
However, about 950 women have registered with Adelaide firm Tindall Gask Bentley Lawyers, hoping to gain compensation through a class action.
The firm’s spokesman, Andrew Montesi, said three Canberrans, including Ms Girvan, had signed on and he expected more to join the case.
Medicare offers a rebate of $750 to people who undergo surgery to remove the implants, but Mr Montesi said the amount was tiny fraction of the costs involved.
‘‘There’s a lot of confusion and a lack of clear guidelines about what these women are entitled to,’’ he said.
‘‘These are people suffering significant mental distress and they’re not getting assistance. Not all of them have a spare $10,000 on hand to get it done privately.’’
The federal government is subsidising MRI scans for women who want to know whether their implants have ruptured.
Ms Girvan, who lacks private health insurance, was referred to The Canberra Hospital by her general practitioner last week for treatment.
She was initially told by a hospital staff member that the referral could not be accepted because the treatment was considered cosmetic and she was not a cancer patient.
But Ms Girvan was later told the early advice was incorrect and she could be treated publicly for the rupture.
A Senate committee is currently inquiring into the effects of Poly Implant Prothèse implants on patients and is expected to report by the end of this month.
Mr Montesi said his legal firm hoped to file its class action in the Federal Court ‘‘within the next month or two’’.
‘‘We’re very confident that we will win these women the compensation they need.’’
- with Markus Mannheim