Sinn Fein health spokesperson Sandra Duffy
“Genuine fears for the provision of health and social care services from representative bodies are growing and becoming more vocal,” said Cllr Duffy.
“In the past week the Head of the Civil Service voiced what he termed as ‘serious concerns’ with regards to the impact of a hard border. The Health Department’s Permanent Secretary needs to be just as clear with the public regarding the potential implications for our health system.
“The Royal College of Radiologists also warned that Brexit is likely to cause a delay to some cancer tests and treatments. This will no doubt impact on patient care.
“Furthermore, the BMA have written directly to the British Prime Minister stressing that it has repeatedly warned that a ‘no deal’ Brexit will have catastrophic consequences for patients, the health workforce and health services.
“While referring in particular to the supply of medicines and medical radioisotopes, the BMA warned that there isn’t a single part of the health service that will be unaffected by the departure from the EU.
“As more and more representative bodies identify ongoing concerns with the lack of a coherent Brexit response plan, it becomes ever more crucial that we see committed action from the Department of Health.”
