The paper claimed that the PIP (Poly Implant Prothèse) implants are suspected of having caused the death of at least one woman and have put thousands of others in danger.

The French Health Ministry said last week that eight women with the implants are suffering from cancer.

PIP was closed down by health authorities last year after it was discovered the company was using non-medical silicone gel in implants which were twice as likely to rupture as other products in the same category. The company CEO has been accused of fraud.

Libération reported that Agnès Buzyn, president of the national cancer institute, and Jean-Yves Grall, director general of health, confirmed that the government order to have the implants removed would take place.

Government spokeswoman Valérie Pécresse said on Tuesday that a plan of action would be announced before the end of the week.

“Today, we are in the process of evaluating these breast implants, given the cancer risks” she said on news channel LCI.

A meeting of the working group at the national cancer institute is planned for December 23rd when decisions are likely to be taken.

The main challenges of a recall would be finding all the women with the implants and the issue of who would pay for surgical operations.

“If this becomes a public health emergency then any operation costs will be covered by Social Security” said Pécresse on Tuesday.

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