London: Women are going for "virginity repair" operations on the NHS due to the result of social regression caused by Islamic fundamentalism, says a new finding.
The finding showed that an increasing numbers of women were paying up to 4,000 pounds in private clinics for the procedure apparently under pressure from future spouses or in-laws who believe they should be virgins on their wedding night.
Official figures revealed that taxpayers funded 24 hymen replacement operations between 2005 and 2006.
Dr Magdy Hend, consultant gynaecologist at the Regency Clinic in London, who started hymen reconstruction more than 18 years ago in the Middle East and the Gulf, said that some cultures want to see their brides bleed at night.
"In some cultures they like to see that the women will bleed on the wedding night. If the wife or bride is not a virgin, it is a big shame on the family, " the Daily Mail quoted Hend, as saying.
The operation can involve suturing of a tear in the hymen, such as might be caused by sexual assault, to help healing.
But it can also be conducted as a purely cosmetic procedure. A membrane is constructed, sometimes including a capsule of an artificial blood-like substance.
Hend also said that he was surprised by the "very good response" to the service and that there was "big competition on the market".
He added that most of his clients were in their teens or early 20s.
"They might be British of ethnic background, they might be immigrants, or some people come from abroad, Asia, Middle East, the Gulf, and they don't want to have it done back home, " he said.
Tory health spokesman Mike Penning expressed concern over the situation.
"If there is any cultural or other pressure being put on the women from any source to have this done, that would be a very retrograde step, " he said.
"If a woman has been violated or raped and lost her virginity, clearly everything possible should be done to assist her.
"But what nobody would understand is if taxpayers' money is being used to fund operations of this kind for cultural or cosmetic reasons, " he added.
The Department of Health said "certain cosmetic procedures" were available on the NHS "to secure physical or psychological health".
The trend has been condemned by critics as a sign of social regression driven by Islamic fundamentalists.
