‘The islands should get health agreement back’
Friday 18th December 2009, 2:29PM GMT.
IT IS UNFAIR that Guernsey does not have a reciprocal health agreement with the UK, according to an Essex politician.
Thurrock MP Andrew MacKinlay has been asking questions in Parliament after discovering the agreement had been removed.
He said that if the Crown Dependencies worked together, the agreement could be reinstated.
‘There will be no change unless Guernsey bangs on London’s door,’ he said.
‘The decision could be reversed, but not of its own volition. If the Guernsey, Jersey and Isle of Man governments banded together, they would have more input.
‘But with each day that goes by, it becomes less likely the agreement will be reinstated.’
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What’s going on here?
In March, this year, we were told that the UK had decided to end the reciprocal health agreement, apparently without consultation, as seems usual these days.
The reaction locally seemed to be that it was no great loss as the agreement (more properly known as the Bilateral Healthcare Agreement, by the way) worked out as a financial liability for Guernsey. And maybe in consequence there seemed to be no formal complaint made to the UK government.
At the practical level, though, it would appear to be a considerable nuisance to all parties both here and in the UK.
This Thurrock MP seems to be hinting that the issue is not quite done and dusted but, I wonder, is anybody here paying attention?
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P.S.
I see in today’s Press that a spokesman (spin doctor?) for the Policy Council says they are not interested because it would confuse islanders.
Unbelievable!
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