How Brexit May Affect British Healthcare
Since the actual exit from the European Union will not take place for at least two years, all the EU benefits- and obligations will remain until then. It’s only after autumn 2018 that the changes will begin to reflect.
The nature of those changes will depend to a large extent on the model which the UK adopts for its relationship with the EU. The changes would be minimal if UK remains in the European Economic Area(EEA). However, if the decision is to join the European Free Trade Association(EFTA) then the effect will be determined by the exact nature of the relationship.
Though how things pan out for the healthcare sector is still largely speculative, some of the very possible effects are listed here.
Will there be more or less money for the NHS?
The leave supporters had claimed that by quitting the EU, the UK will gain an extra £350 million a week for spending on health and other public services. But an analysis made by the Institute of Fiscal Studies(IFS) paints a different picture.
According to the IFS, once the money received back from the EU is taken into account, the UK’s net contribution amounted only to 150 million a week. Also, this is without factoring in the financial turmoil which could rock the government’s finances.
The analysis becomes even bleaker when it predicts that due to Brexit, UK will face an extra 2 years of austerity. According to Carl Emmerson who is the deputy director of IFS and also the report’s author, the economy would shrink to such an extent that any positive effect of the reduced financial contribution to the EU budget gets offset.
Curbing immigration and its effects on NHS costs
As per a study conducted by the Nuffield Trust, it’s estimated that in 2014, migration from the European Union resulted in £160 million as extra costs for the NHS in the UK. When compared with the £1.4 billion incurred as additional costs brought about by factors like treating the ageing population and also migrants from outside the EU, this is a relatively small sum.
However, it cannot be ignored that immigrants are also taxpayers and patients; they may even contribute to available resources as doctors, nurses and paramedical staff.
The validity of Health Insurance Cards in the EU
Once the UK leaves the European Union, and if it also leaves the EEA, British tourists abroad and retirees etc. will have to cover their health care costs themselves or using travel insurance in the respective countries. But, it’s still a possibility that the UK may negotiate specific agreements with EU and EEA nations so that the European Health Insurance Card(EHIC) would continue to serve them across Europe.
Non-English staff of the NHS
Of the 1.2 million staff members in the NHS in England, 55,000 are citizens of other countries in the EU. That’s 5% of the entire NHS workers. To put that in perspective, the population of UK citizens born in other EU countries is 4.7 percent.
In the wake of the referendum result, the British Medical Association(BMA) has extended its continual support to the non-English staff. As Mark Porter, the chief council of BMA said, “We stand together as one profession with our colleagues from Europe and across the world.”
Impact on Medical Research
Given the fact that EU funding has been helping UK medical science for many decades, the referendum result has made many experts to cast the possible effects, unsurprisingly in a poor light.
For instance, Nobel Laureate, Sir Paul Nurse said that Brexit is a poor outcome for British science, adding that it’s when you pool intelligence and minimise barriers that science thrives. He also said that British scientists would have to work hard in the future so that they can counter the isolationism of BREXIT.
Clinical trials
The new clinical trial regime in the EU will come into effect by October 2018. With the new regulation, just a single application is required for clinical trials across the EU which could be made through a single portal-this significantly reduces the administrative burdens. Unless the UK makes the necessary arrangements to be within the system, extra-administrative burdens will have to be borne.
Patents
A change in the patents regime is due in the EU in the second quarter of 2017. This will enable inventors to apply for a Unitary Patent(UP) that will cover the whole of Europe. However, in the context of Brexit, it is likely that the UK will be excluded from this.
While the old adage that change is inevitable may be true, it’s also a fact that some changes could be more damaging in the long run than others. Whether Brexit will prove to be one of those remains to be seen. As of now, for the healthcare sector, it seems a cheerful overview cannot be procured.
