Sunderland Echo

Much to lose by leaving

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I am a consultant at Sunderland Royal Hospital and I share the view of many of my colleagues that Brexit will damage the NHS.

First of all, the impact on the economy is likely to compromise the promise of increased NHS funding, whereas the negative impact on the numbers of doctors and nurses from the EU will be felt, bearing in mind the already significan­t numbers of vacant posts.

And isn’t the EU an effective way of reducing administra­tive costs by creating a single European Medicines Agency, which also avoids delays in the registrati­on of any new medication­s?

Euratom also seems to have done a good job and the Royal College of Radiologis­ts is concerned about continued access to medical isotopes used for diagnosis and treatment, when we leave the EU.

As a doctor I recognise that the EU has been at the forefront of the process of improving the quality of the air we breathe, which has a significan­t impact on our health.

After Brexit, holidaymak­ers will lose the current reciprocal health care arrangemen­ts, whereas our academic institutio­ns will suffer due to a loss of European funding and collaborat­ive opportunit­ies for research.

Many of us are also quite grateful for the fact that the limits on safe working hours were introduced as a result of EU legislatio­n.

I would urge readers to attend the North East for Europe march for Sunderland on October 6.

Dr Giuseppe Enrico Bignardi

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