A compulsory insurance scheme for cosmetic surgery patients could be set up following the outcry over faulty PIP breast implants, the medical director of the NHS said.
Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, who is heading a government review into the cosmetic surgery industry in the wake of the scandal, told the BBC the scheme would be similar to the insurance protection plan in place in the travel industry.
Around 40,000 women in the UK received implants manufactured by French company Poly Implant Prostheses (PIP), which were filled with non-medical grade silicone.
While there is no clear evidence PIP implants cause harm, the government has said concerned patients who had their surgery on the NHS will be able to have them removed and replaced free of charge.
Around 95 per cent of PIP implants were fitted by private clinics. These patients can have them removed but not replaced on the NHS if a private clinic refuses to carry out the surgery or no longer exists.
A number of private cosmetic surgery providers have agreed to remove the implants for free, but others are refusing to foot the bill for extraction operations.
Sir Bruce told BBC Radio 4's The Report: "One of the things that my review will be looking at will be something rather like the Abta arrangement that travel agents have, which means that if an organisation runs into trouble the consumer is covered."
Companies pay a subscription to become members of Association of British Travel Agents (Abta), which provides a fund for people to fall back on if something goes wrong.
The government is also looking at introducing a breast implant register to record details of cosmetic operations.
The World Health Organisation last week advised women with PIP implants to seek medical advice if they suspect “rupture, have pain or inflammation or any other concerns”.
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