The SNP has demanded the Westminster government urgently address the medicine shortage their Brexit red tape has created, which is putting NHS patients at risk.
Vital antibiotics, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs are among those in most short supply this winter, with the NHS forced to pay through the nose to acquire them.
A report by the Independent Commission of UK-EU Relations has highlighted that shortages have affected a range of medicines across the board since Brexit, pointing the blame towards costly new paperwork and new regulators are major factors.
The director of this commission, Mike Buckley, said “the poor Brexit agreement we have is making things worse” for the NHS, which he admitted is already under strain. He continued, “The health service has seen severe disruption to the supply of medicine and medical equipment, as well as access to skilled labour, since Brexit.”
Commenting, the SNP’s Health Spokesperson, Amy Callaghan MP said:
“The fact that vital medicines are in short supply as a result of Brexit red tape will be extremely concerning for many. It is vital that the Westminster government do everything in their power to address this mess of their own making and ensure people get the medicine they need without delay.
“With both the Tories and the pro-Brexit Labour party content on continuing down this destructive path of Brexit red tape and shortages, the SNP are focussed on a future where our NHS is protected in an independent Scotland inside the EU.
“Leaving the EU has been an undeniable disaster. However, by re-joining the European Union and the world’s largest single market, we could end the mountains of red tape and bureaucracy that the NHS is currently facing.
“Only the SNP are offering that alternative through independence – and a return to economic prosperity.”