Health charities call on Government to provide urgent Brexit details

Four leading health charities have called on the Scottish Government to urgently provide full details of the plans they are working on, in tandem with the UK Government, in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Diabetes Scotland, Epilepsy Scotland, Marie Curie Scotland and the MS Society says the effectiveness of contingency plans to maintain the supply, storage and local distribution of essential medicines in Scotland will depend on all relevant agencies and authorities working in close collaboration.

Speaking on behalf of the four Scottish Health charities, Angela Mitchell, National Director of Diabetes Scotland said: “It’s less than four weeks until March 29 and people are telling us how anxious and concerned they are about the lack of clarity and detail.

“As leading patient voice charities, representing hundreds of thousands of people, we have a responsibility to articulate the very real worries and fears many have about the supply, distribution and storage of medicines in a no deal Brexit.

“Insulin, for example, is a daily life-saving necessity for thousands of people with diabetes, and any delay or interruption to access would be incredibly dangerous.

“Anti-epileptic drugs are also a daily necessity for people with epilepsy.

“Any delay or change in the makeup of the drug (coating or binding) might trigger seizures in someone whose condition has been well-managed for many years with no guarantee they will be seizure free again.

“Additionally, emergency rescue medication, like midazolam, is a vital lifesaving drug for people with difficult to manage epilepsy. Any interruption to supply raises serious concern and may result in avoidable deaths.

“There are many other drugs and medical supplies which are equally critical to health.

“We are urgently calling on the Scottish Government to produce the detail required to reassure the Scottish public that all relevant organisations involved in the supply, storage and local distribution of medicines in Scotland, have robust systems and agreements in place.”