Doctor fears for his future in the UK after Brexit
A DOCTOR who moved from Spain to the UK nearly three decades ago says he fears for his future in this country following the vote to leave the European Union.
Consultant anaesthetist Luis Fernando Jimenez Zaratiegui, who has lived in South Wales since 1993, says the UK Government has still made “no guarantees” about whether he will be allowed to stay.
The 54-year-old Spanish national, who works at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend, fears his family could be split apart by Brexit as both his wife and daughter are British nationals.
He claims many medical workers from the EU feel marginalised following the referendum to the point they no longer feel welcome.
At present there are an estimated 135,000 EU nationals working in the NHS and social care system across the UK.
And the experienced doctor fears the NHS would collapse unless systems are put in place to protect workers like him.
“I love this country. I have had chances to go back to Spain but I’d rather stay here as I’ve always been treated very, very well here,” said Dr Jimenez Zaratiegui, who lives in Swansea.
“I understand that the British people voted to leave, and I respect that, but the Government has to understand that there are a bunch of EU nationals in this country, some of whom have been here for a long, long time paying taxes.
“They [the Government] should come out and clarify our [EU nationals] situation one way or the other.”
Dr Jimenez Zaratiegui moved to the UK in 1989 as “an adventure” with no intention of staying for any length of time.
But after working at NHS hospitals in Walsall, Birmingham, Carmarthenshire and Blackpool, he settled in Uplands, Swansea, and married the love of his life, Helen.
“It’s a great place to live and grow a family,” he added.
“You have the sea, the mountains, and it’s not an expensive place to live. It still has that small village, community feel.”
He said the UK’s decision to leave the EU left a bitter taste in his mouth and left his 19-year-old daughter, Isabel, seething.
“I think it was an appalling decision. I was very upset about the whole thing,” he added.
“I wasn’t allowed to vote so the decision on my future was left to other people.
“I never thought I would need to become a British national as I have always felt welcome here.
“My daughter was very angry by Brexit and she felt betrayed by a lot of young people who didn’t bother to vote.”
Dr Jimenez Zaratiegui said his sense of uncertainty was highlighted in February when, for the first time in his life, he was stopped and questioned at UK border control following his return from an anaesthetics conference in France.
“They were asking whether I was coming to the UK as a visitor or whether I lived here,” he said.
“I have never had any problems like this before and I felt insulted – I have a right to come to this country.”
Because Dr Jimenez Zaratiegui has worked for so long in the NHS he fears he would struggle to find work in Spain should he be forced to leave.
“All my professional career has been developed in this country,” he added.
“I’m now 54 and it’s very, very late in my life to go and work in Spain. I think the NHS would be in big trouble if people like me were forced to leave as we couldn’t be replaced.”
A recent survey by the British Medical Association found that 42% of EU nationals working in the NHS and social care system were considering leaving the UK as a result of Brexit, while 23% said they were unsure.
On a scale of one to 10, European doctors stated they felt significantly less committed to working in the UK in light of the EU referendum result. From an average of nine out of 10, commitment dropped to six out of 10.