MORE than 600 men were given bionic willy operations on the NHS last year, figures reveal.
Demand for the penis prostheses has grown — with a record number of 607 in 2024.
The number of men given bionic willy operations on the NHS hit a record high last year, figures reveal[/caption]
The £9,000-a-time operations are carried out on men when other aids including Viagra have failed to help them get erections.
There had been an average of about 450 ops per year — costing the NHS just over £4million.
But last year would have cost the service about £5.4million.
It is believed the long-term rise in this type of surgery is fuelled by older men who want to have an active sex life, but cannot for medical reasons.
In one type of op, flexible rods are put into the organ, which allow the man to bend it into place.
In another, a water pump is placed in the scrotum to pump up the penis.
Last year, the average age of men having the procedure was 57. There were 30 cases of men in their 30s and 46 aged over 70.
Consultant urologist Gordon Muir, of London Bridge Hospital, said: “Most of these men have significant problems such as prostate cancer or diabetes.”
