Brexit has caused the United Kingdom a collapse of the pound, an institutional crisis, a failed tax reform, an attempted independence referendum in Scotland, a trade deficit, a shortage of workers in the service sector and an obstacle to trade borders with many countries. It has not been an easy process for the British. It has even given rise to a repentance movement, known as Breger, which explains how most people are now in favor of rejoining the EU.
To all these recent problems we must add another one that fully affects Gibraltarians and that has meant a drain on money for their Government: ambulances.
a money hole. The exit from the European Union has cost the Government of Gibraltar a whopping 700,000 euros just to be able to continue with their ambulance trips to Spanish hospitals during the last two years, as explained by the Minister of Health, Albert Ísola in the Gibraltarian Parliament. .
This disbursement is due to the fact that, after Brexit, the Gibraltar health authorities no longer have work permits to drive their ambulances in Spain unless it is an emergency, a case of life or death. All this has led the Government to have to hire three private Spanish ambulance companies for the transfer of patients who are not urgent (for tests, check-ups, etc.). And that is worth a lot of money.
Because? In March, and due to new legal aspects introduced as a result of the British country leaving the EU, the Government of Gibraltar announced that, from now on, patients can only be transported to Spanish hospitals if their ambulances are staffed by employees. from the Gibraltar Health Authority (GHA) living in Spain or by EU citizens. “In addition, they will need a Spanish employment contract and this will also apply to everyone in the ambulance with the exception of the patient,” the Government reported.
The reason is that, after the change, drivers and other doctors came to have the same classification as commercial vehicle drivers, who require registration of their employment status in the EU after Brexit.
And in a life or death situation? When it comes to a case in which the life of the patient is in danger, an exception will be made and the staff of the Gibraltar Health Authority may carry out the transfer, provided that they notify the Spanish authorities beforehand and communicate the condition of the patient. On the other hand, this will not affect Spanish ambulances, which can move freely between both territories and Gibraltar allows them to operate without any special permission.
More problems. It does not only affect patient transfers. As the authorities denounced a year ago, the same problem occurs with the transport of platelets from Spain. It must be remembered that El Peñón depends on the supply that Jerez provides when it has an emergency. Before the United Kingdom left the EU, the platelets were sent to La Línea and taken by local ambulances to St Bernard’s Hospital. Now it can only be done with Spanish ambulances. And that’s another outlay of money.
All of this has drawn criticism from the opposition party, the GSD, which has expressed concern that the situation is an “example of poor planning at best or sheer incompetence at worst.” And so far it is not clear if the treaty under negotiation between the European Commission and the United Kingdom to regulate the relations of Gibraltar and the EU after Brexit will include any changes in this aspect.
Image: Xataka with Midjourney
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