Health authorities in France are calling for tighter safety controls on medical devices in Europe following a global health scare caused by a defective French-made breast implant.

A report released by the health department and the consumer safety board calls for stronger national and European monitoring, as well as increased inspections, with both regular and surprise visits. The report also calls for an easier mechanism for doctors to report defective devices.

Hundreds of thousands of women are believed to have received implants produced by Poly Implant Prothese . The France-based company shut down in 2010 after it was found to be using a silicone gel that had not been approved by health authorities.

A number of countries, including France, have urged women to have the implants removed because of an increased risk of rupture.

Hundreds of thousands of the implants were used by women, most of them in South America and western Europe, for cosmetic surgery or to replace lost breast tissue.