Personally I think the surgeons / clinics should be held to account and they can seek reimbursement from the manuafacturer and in turn offer free removal and replacement of the implants to any patients with them , including covering the cost of their work not just the implant, after all, even if they are Cosmetic Surgeons, they are still doctors and it is their job to protect, preserve and save life... regardless of their current speciality.
I have a feeling the private companies who fitted the majority of implants will not want to pay out for the removal/replacement as it will hamper their profits.

The NHS should not be there to pick up this problem left behind by private medical companies, or should I say more problems left being by private medical companies.

I can see long court cases could arise from this as the company in France who made the implants is no longer trading, who will they try and sue the UK regulator for letting them in? AFSSAPS in France who I guess would have licensed the product? I guess only time will tell.

I bet the big private health care companies have got their advisers running round the House of Commons trying to get them off the hook for paying for this. It would be interesting to see if donations from the private health care companies to the political parties rise in 2012 as they do business the way most corporations do these days, to get what they want.