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A10 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 28 September 2019
Report: No-deal Brexit could leave UK with medical shortages

By MARIA CHENG jid Javid, the Conservative
AP Medical Writer chancellor.
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s “I do not believe for one
government watchdog minute that anyone who
says there’s still a “signifi- voted to leave in 2016 vot-
cant amount” of work to ed to harm themselves and
do to make sure the coun- other people, and yet that
try has an adequate supply is where we’re heading,”
of licensed drugs in case of he said. “We need some
a no-deal Brexit. people in Parliament with a
In a report issued Friday, brain who are willing to ne-
Britain’s National Audit Of- gotiate with other people.”
fice said additional ship- Britain’s department of
ping capacity chartered health said it has taken
by the U.K. for sending measures to prepare for a
goods across the English no-deal departure, includ-
Channel might not be op- ing ordering six weeks of
erational until the end of extra medicine stocks and
November — one month securing specialist courier
after the Oct. 31 deadline In this Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019 file photo, an employee of Eurotunnel and his dog check trucks on services to deliver products
for Britain to leave the Eu- their way to Britain during a day of test in case of no deal Brexit, at the exit of the Channel tunnel with a short shelf life.
ropean Union. Of the more in Calais, northern France. But not everyone was con-
than 12,300 medicines li- Associated Press vinced by the moves.
censed in the U.K., about seizure can have a life- ments for conditions includ- don radio show when he “One thing is clear about
7,000 arrive from or via the changing impact.” ing epilepsy, Parkinson’s pointedly asked Jacob a no-deal Brexit and that is
EU, mostly across the Chan- According to the British disease, diabetes and cer- Rees-Mogg, the leader of that no amount of prepa-
nel. government’s “reasonable tain cancers including leu- the House of Commons, ration can fully eradicate
Meg Hillier, who chairs a worst-case “ scenario, the kemia. what level of excess deaths the risks it presents to pa-
committee overseeing the flow of goods could be cut “It’s incredibly troubling he would be willing to ac- tient safety,” said Donal
audit office, called the by half on Day One of a no- and reckless,” he said. “I cept in a no-deal Brexit. O’Donoghue of the Royal
findings “deeply concern- deal Brexit and could take don’t think there’s any evi- Mogg dismissed Nicholl’s College of Physicians . “It is
ing.” She said she had seen a year to recover. It said dence that we’re in any warnings and later com- impossible for me and my
“countless examples” of time was “extremely lim- better situation than we pared him to the disgraced colleagues to reassure pa-
the British government miss- ited” if the shipping issues were before.” researcher Andrew Wake- tients that their health and
ing deadlines, but that this were to be resolved by the Nicholl said British politi- field, who published a now- care won’t be negatively
one was particularly strik- end of October. cians were still refusing to discredited paper linking impacted by the U.K. leav-
ing. Dr. David Nicholl, a neurol- honestly acknowledge a childhood vaccine to ing the EU without a deal.”
“If the government gets this ogist who helped draft the the harm that would be autism. Mogg later apolo- Steve Bates, CEO of U.K.’
wrong, it could have the U.K.’s no-deal Brexit plan- caused to patients in Brit- gized for the comparison. s Bioindustry Association
gravest of consequences,” ning and went public with ain by a no-deal exit. He Nicholl said he was so dis- , said that unlike the last
she said. his concerns this month, predicted there would be illusioned with the lack of Brexit deadline — March
Alan Boyd of the Academy said he felt vindicated by a spike in illness and deaths action to address his con- 31 — the government has
of Medical Royal Colleges the audit office report. He if Britain does leave Europe cerns that he has decided given companies much
said people with epilepsy said during his work con- without a divorce deal. to enter politics; he will less information about al-
were a particular concern sulting for the government, In early September, Nicholl stand as a candidate for ternative routes in case
in the event of any drug there were fears about ad- publicly raised the issue of the Liberal Democrats in a a no-deal Brexit results in
shortages, noting that “one equate supplies for treat- drug shortages on a Lon- district currently held by Sa- jammed ports.q

Outages to deter wildfires burden rural California counties

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ & Electric information of time. But the preventive
Associated Press online about which outages are proving to be
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — neighborhoods would be a burden to smaller, poorer
When California’s largest affected and what to do counties without resources
utility warned it would cut with perishable food. to set up places for people
power to thousands to Both counties had to cool off or mobilize staff
prevent its equipment from communities decimated to deal with emergencies
starting wildfires during in wildfires ignited by if outages stretch past two
warm, windy weather, power lines in recent days.
officials in the wealthy wine years. They face the long- “The outages are to avoid
region of Sonoma County term prospect of frequent an emergency and a fire
sprang into action. power shutoffs during fire disaster, but there are no
They declared a state of season as PG&E and other resources that counties
emergency and called up utilities try to prevent their can access to make
additional first responders equipment from sparking sure that people are at a
who could direct traffic or blazes like the one last year cooling station or get the
take vulnerable residents to that killed 85 people and In this Oct. 20, 2017, file photo Gordon Easter and finance Gail transportation they need
places with electricity. nearly destroyed the Butte Hale embrace as they return to their home on Hopper Lane in to get there,” said Darby
Nearly 200 miles (275 County town of Paradise. Coffey Park, in Santa Rosa, Calif. Thomas, deputy executive
kilometers) north, officials More populated, wealthier Associated Press director of the California
in rural Butte County counties have adapted to respond to the new residents losing power for State Association of
simply posted Pacific Gas their emergency plans reality of thousands of an undetermined amount Counties.q