Last Thursday, Gibraltar’s Minister of Health, Gemma Arias-Vásquez, met with the UK Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention, Andrew Gwynne, at the Department of Health and Social Care in London.

The two public officials discussed the excellent working relationship that exists between the UK and Gibraltar governments and Minister Arias-Vásquez thanked his Government for its continued support for Gibraltarians’ access to specialist medical care in the UK.

Among the matters discussed were “a number of issues arising from the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union”, according to a statement released yesterday by the Gibraltar Government.

Minister for Health and Healthcare Services, Gemma Arias-Vásquez, commented: “I was delighted to meet Minister Andrew Gwynne in his office in London. “He is clearly a long-standing friend of Gibraltar, having visited Gibraltar on several occasions, not least for our National Day celebrations.”

An essayist on disability, Gwynne served as a Labour Party representative in the British Parliament until, following his party’s victory in the July 4 election, he took up that responsibility at the Ministry of Health led by Wes Streeting.

“The UK and Gibraltar governments have an excellent working relationship and I greatly appreciate the Minister’s support and interest in trying to resolve some of the key issues that have arisen as a result of our exit from the European Union,” Arias-Vásquez added. Discussions on synergies between the UK Department of Health and Social Care and the Gibraltar Health Authority were also fruitful. “I look forward to building on our good relationship and working closely with Minister Gwynne – and the wider Department of Health and Social Care – in the coming months.”

Meanwhile, Gwynne stressed the “strong working relationship between the UK and Gibraltar.”

“We are committed to continuing to support Gibraltarians to access specialist healthcare in the UK,” said the Foreign Secretary.