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HEALTH

Health Minister warns no-deal Brexit could result in medical shortages in Germany

Health Minister Jens Spahn has warned of medical shortages in Germany in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Published: 28 March 2019 11:57 CET
Health Minister warns no-deal Brexit could result in medical shortages in Germany
Photo: DPA

In a letter to the EU Commission, the Christian Democrat (CDU) politician said that “tens of thousands” of medical items could become unavailable if Britain doesn’t secure a deal before leaving, German newspaper Handelsblatt reported Thursday.

SEE ALSO: Brexit: Germany plans to extend transition period for Brits in case of no-deal

His concerns are down to medical items, which have been approved in the UK, becoming invalid if no withdrawal agreement is struck before Britain leaves the bloc. Spahn said there could be shortages as early as next month.

The Minister called on the Commission and other EU member states to agree on a joint crisis plan with “practical procedures” to deal with different scenarios. Among the products that could become unavailable are cardiac pacemakers, blood sampling products and medical implants.

Spahn said that in the event of a disorderly or unregulated Brexit “it is reasonable to assume that tens of thousands of medical products” would lose their formal market access in the EU-27 “and would no longer be available on the European market”.

The Health Minister said he was particularly concerned about possible shortages in vitro diagnostics, which are devices used to perform tests on blood, urine and tissue samples.

SEE ALSO: OPINION: Why Germany struggles to understand the issues at heart of Brexit

“I fear that the provision of blood products to patients in Germany could be at risk from the middle of April 2019,” he warned in the letter.

No-deal Brexit could cause certificates to become invalid

Several manufacturers of medical products have approved their products in the UK. A Brexit without an agreement, however, would make the certificates issued by British institutes invalid. Affected products would then no longer be allowed to be placed on the market in Germany and the other EU states.

At the beginning of March, the German government had drawn attention to concerns over medical products shortages.

European pharmaceutical leaders also called on EU member states to do more to safeguard the supply of medicines post-Brexit earlier this month.

To see all our Brexit coverage click HERE.

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HEALTH

Are Danes cutting back on cigarettes and alcohol?

Danish stores sold a significantly lower quantity of alcohol and cigarettes over the counter last year, new data from Statistics Denmark show.

Published: 14 June 2024 07:42 CEST
Are Danes cutting back on cigarettes and alcohol?

Some 3,852 cigarettes were sold year, which amounts to 804 per person over the age of 18. But that compares to a figures of 854 per person on 2022.

Cigarette sales in Denmark have been declining since 2018.

Sales of sprits, beer and wine fell by 7.8 percent, 5.3 percent and 0.9 percent respectively.

Danish business sold the equivalent of 44.4 million litres of pure alcohol, which works out at 11.9 units per week on average for each person over the age of 18.

Although that is a lower value than in 2022, it still exceeds the amount recommended by the Danish Health Authority (Sundhedsstyrelsen).

The Health Authority recommends that adults over 18 drink no more than 10 units per week and no more than four in a single day.

READ ALSO: Should Denmark raise the minimum age for buying alcohol?

“The numbers are still too high and it’s an average that could have a skewed distribution,” University of Southern Denmark professor, Janne Tholstrup, said in relation to the alcohol sales figures. Tholstrup has published research on Denmark’s alcohol culture.

That is in spite of a 30-year-trend of falling alcohol consumption, according to the professor.

“The majority of Danes stay under the recommended 10 unite per week. That means there is a large group with a persistently excessive consumption of alcohol,” she said.

The Statistics Denmark figures also show that sales of loose tobacco – such as the type used in roll-up cigarettes and pipes – also fell last year. Some 58 tonnes less were sold compared to 2022.

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