The Irish health sector could face staffing shortages and problems accessing medicines because of Brexit, the vice-president of the European parliament has warned.
Mairead McGuinness said the impact would not be apparent until 2020 because of a transition phase expected to come into effect after the deadline next year but she anticipated problems.
Threats specifically to Ireland included recruiting and retaining doctors and nurses, she said. “The UK attracts a significant number of Irish healthcare workers into the NHS and there are fears that this might escalate post- Brexit, leaving the Irish system with increased staffing problems,” she said. A large number of EU citizens work in the NHS and it is expected that a significant chunk of these will leave after Brexit.
The Fine Gael MEP also said Ireland needed contingencies for how services, such as the paediatric cardiology facility in Crumlin, and the supply of medicines would be governed after Brexit.
She added that 45 million packs of medicines were supplied from the UK to the European Economic Area each month and 37 million from the EEA to Britain. This placed significant potential problems on Ireland that could lead to patients suffering, she said.
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The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) claims that UK hospitals and recruitment agencies are luring young Irish nurses with better pay and numerous perks.
The average entry wage for a nurse in Ireland is about €14 an hour, compared with nearly €16 in the UK, plus perks.
Phil Ni Sheaghdha, general secretary of the INMO, said that the packages included subsidised accommodation, flights home and a cost-of-living allowance. “It makes complete sense why they choose to leave,” she said.