Blog 5 for March 13 Class

               When Brexit first hit the news last year, I did not fully understand the implications of such a decision. So the UK wanted to leave the EU—they weren’t on the Euro anyways, so what was the big deal? Like those who voted to leave, after Brexit happened I had to google more information about the EU, its members, and its purpose. Having never been to Europe or studied the European Union, I had no knowledge of how difficult such a split could be and how many reaching effects it could have worldwide.  

               We talked in class and read in articles briefly the implications of Brexit on trade markets and banking. I have never studied economics, so I definitely didn’t realize Brexit could potentially shake the world banking system. I’ve been reading a few other articles, too, and in the medicine and science communities, there are worries over healthcare, clinical trial rights, and drug imports/exports. In terms of healthcare, a large percentage of the UK’s healthcare workers come from other nations within the EU, especially those working in social care. There is worry that because of the border changes, doctors and nurses from outside the UK will leave and many will stop wanting to come to the UK because of the difficulty, leaving the UK with a shortage. Pharmaceutical companies are concerned that should the UK completely disentangle itself from Europe, the ability to hold clinical trials in other EU countries with a single agreement will be lost. If that happens, UK companies will have to work to receive permission from each country individually, making the process more costly in both time and money.

               With negotiations beginning in the near future, it will be interesting to see how Brexit plays out. How much of a separation will the UK actually get from its neighbors?